Class _JQ_2l^ 

Book > 

Copyright N° . 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



An Egyptian Woman and Child 

(See page 21) 
of Yesterdays, Frontispiece 



DREAMS OF 
YESTERDAYS 



(IN THE ORIENT) 

BY 

FRANCES E. MORGAN MATTHEWS 




NEW YORK 
COCHRANE PUBLISHING CO. 
1908 



Iwo Oouics Receive* 

JUL 17 1908 

f»*m caw ^ 



Copyright, 1908, by 
COCHRANE PUBLISHING CO. 



TO 

ftLv IbttsbanB 

who has been the companion 
and enthusiastic sharer of 
all my dreams, is this book 
Affectionately Inscribed 



INTRODUCTION 

This book has not been written with the idea of in- 
structing the reader in regard to the deeper themes con- 
nected with Oriental countries, of which so many of our 
best writers have given us the most reliable history, 
gained from long study, as well as from archeological 
research ; but simply to give pleasure, and to create a love 
for travel to these most interesting countries, which we 
so much enjoyed, and which will always be to us among 
our most treasured "Dreams of Yesterdays." 

The Author. 

New Haven, Conn., April, 1908. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. On the Sea i 

II. Funchal, Madeira Islands . 4 

III. Gibraltar 8 

IV. Granada, Spain 11 

V. Algiers, Africa 19 

VI. Valetta, Malta 24 

VII. Athens. Greece . , 28 

VIII. On the Sea 34 

IX. Constantinople, Turkey 36 

X. Islam's Capital 52 

XI. Smyrna, Syria, and Beirut, Damascus. . , 58 

XII. Jerusalem, Palestine 64 

XIII. Jericho, Bethlehem and Bethany 68 

XIV. The Holy Sepulchre 79 

XV. Jerusalem— Solomon's Temple 91 

XVI. Alexandria, Egypt 98 

XVII. Cairo, Egypt 100 

XVIII. On the Nile 115 

XIX. In Cairo. 123 

XX. Alexandria and the Sea 126 



"For yesterday is but a dream, 
And To-morrow is only a vision; 

But To-day, well lived, 
Makes every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, 
And every To-morrow a Vision of Hope. ,, 

—From the Sanskrit. 



DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



CHAPTER I 



ON THE SEA 




HEN we added " A Tri P to the 
Orient" to our itinerary of an ex- 
tensive European journey, and 
had really sailed from the Ameri- 
can shore, when no land was in 
sight, and the ocean in its cease- 
less motion was rolling our good ship on its 
mighty billows ; when the storm of wind and rain 
at last reached us, and made us feel how small 
we were, and how wonderful that our great float- 
ing palace was as secure as terra firma, and that 
we were steadily going forward to the land of 
our dreams; then did we feel like giving thanks 
to the Arbiter of all our destinies, that it was our 
good fortune to lay in a store of so much pleasure 
for coming years. For several days we had rough 
weather and high seas, but donned water-proofs 
and gum shoes and remained on deck day and 



2 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



evening to enjoy our first real storm at sea. Our 
former experiences had been quite tame, and we 
had hoped to see the ocean in its angry mood, 
and, therefore, enjoyed the pitching and tossing 
of the great vessel with its noisy accompaniment 
of the smashing of glasses and dishes (one thou- 
sand broken in one night), the shipping of seas — 
and although the guards were on the tables, the 
great lurches making it impossible to have any- 
thing but a grand melange of everything mova- 
ble. At last the crest of a huge wave deluged us, 
and we hastily abandoned our deck chairs, joining 
all the others in waiting for the storm to pass, 
when we welcomed a smoother sea and a return to 
normal conditions. 

The first bugle call in the morning, telling us 
that the dangers of another night are passed, and 
the others following, announcing that meals are 
served, was heard a half hour later than the 
usual time on Sunday mornings when the fine old 
tune of "Life let us cherish" was played, the 
bugler passing from deck to deck and through 
the corridors, playing as he goes, makes the effect 
of the music so touching, that we listen with 
eagerness, again and again to the notes of the 
beautiful old air. The music from the orchestra 



ON THE SEA , 3 



at lunch and dinner was fine, and the concerts on 
deck at 10 o'clock a. m. and from 8 to 10 o'clock 
in the evening, by the whole large company of 
musicians, was far above the ordinary boat reper- 
toire, and was much enjoyed by the lovers of good 
music. The dining-room, with its gilt trimmings 
and white enamel finish, its electric lights, hand- 
some draperies, and upholstery, with ladies in 
pretty gowns, always made an interesting picture ; 
and when on ball nights, the Prom deck was 
cleared, and draped with flags, bunting and 
Chinese lanterns, the novelty of dancing at sea 
was enjoyed by old and young, and it was always 
much regretted if a storm, or rough water, pre- 
vented the exercise of this most pleasurable pas- 
time. Several good lectures were given in the 
saloon, and some fine singing, and the evening we 
first cast anchor we were celebrating Lincoln's 
Birthday, and although the exercises were inter- 
esting, it was difficult for us to remain in the 
saloon to hear the addresses, for the bay of 
Funchal, with its white and yellow cottages and 
red-tiled roofs, the balmy air, and the flower-cov- 
ered hill crests, were very attractive. 



CHAPTER II 



FUNCHAL, MADEIRA ISLANDS 

EFORE dinner a bulletin announcing 
the program for sightseeing on the 
folloiwing day was always posted in 
some conspicuous place, and every- 
body read it with interest, and were 
prepared, at the time stated, to de- 
scend the fifty steps of the swinging ladder. We 
breakfasted early next morning, but long before 
this pandemonium reigned outside, for many small 
boats had arrived, and the boatmen were scream- 
ing and gesticulating, all wishing to be first to 
take somebody ashore. There was always one 
or more of the boatmen who wore a bright red 
jersey, with the word "Cook's" across the breast 
in large white letters, also a flag in one end of the 
boat bearing the same motto, and woe to the per- 
son who took a boat without these distinguishing 
marks. We landed at the wharf where a hun- 
dred low, lumbering sleds called "Cairo," with 

4 




FUNCHAL, MADEIRA ISLANDS 5 



canopy tops and curtains of red, or red and yel- 
low, with cushioned seat, and drawn by oxen in- 
stead of horses, were in waiting, and a singular 
appearance we made as we started off to see the 
town. These equipages have one and sometimes 
two attendants ; we had two, a driver and a foot- 
man, if you please. The driver goes ahead and 
directs the oxen, and the footman walks still fur- 
ther in the van and smears the cobblestones with a 
bunch of greasy rags, which they keep throwing 
under the runners to make the sliding easier. As 
a result the streets are filthy and sticky, not par- 
ticularly pleasant to the olfactory nerve. Another 
conveyance used by the Madeirans is a sled with- 
out the canopy top, and drawn by the natives; 
another is called a "rede" and is something like a 
hammock hanging to a pole and carried by the 
natives, one at each end of the pole, while they 
trot or walk in unison, and it is said that the mo- 
tion is not unpleasant to the occupant. The most 
of our party left their sleds at the upper part of 
the town, where they took the cog-wheel railway 
for the summit of the hill, returning by a tobog- 
gan slide. The sled is controlled by two men with 
ropes, sometimes running alongside, sometimes 
behind, and sometimes clinging to the runners, to 



6 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



guide around corners and regulate the speed. 
There were most exciting stories of beggars and 
"hold ups" for more pay for the trip. 

We did not leave our sled with the rest, and 
went on and on up the hills, where every shovel- 
ful of earth is made into- terraces and cultivated, 
and sugar cane, bananas, grape vines and other 
tropical vegetation grew luxuriantly. Stopping 
occasionally for a fine view, and making many at- 
tempts to make our driver understand that we 
wished to return to town, and at last succeeding, 
they started on a cross cut down the serpentine 
cobbled and greased streets, and before we reached 
the town I had unsuccessfully attempted to alight 
from the vehicle, which in spite of the many pulls 
and jerks of our drivers to> keep it in position, 
persisted on some of the steep curves in turning 
onto the oxen. The tongues of these vehicles are 
made of wood and attached by a rope in such a 
way to> the sled that there is nothing to keep it 
from folding up like a jack-knife, which it did 
several times during this queer drive, but we 
reached the town safely and visited the bazars 
and markets, passing the British and American 
consulate headquarters, which in our eyes were 
not particularly attractive. Funchal is the prin- 



FUNCHAL, MADEIRA ISLANDS 7, 



cipal town and seaport of the island of Madeira. 
The people are a mixture of native negro, Moor 
and Portuguese, and there are 40,000 inhab- 
itants. The climate is said to be reckoned as 
among the "isles of the blessed," as the tempera- 
ture ranges between 64 and 74 degrees. There is 
no frost in winter and no extreme heat in sum- 
mer. The vine which was introduced from Cy- 
press in the thirteenth century, from which is 
made the "Old Madeira" of such world-wide 
repute, is supposed to gather its merits from the 
red volcanic soil which gives it its peculiar flavor. 
The island is 240 miles from the nearest land, 
but is connected by submarine cable with Lisbon 
and Brazil. It belongs to Portugal, which is 
about 535 miles distant. On arriving at our ship, 
we found the same hubbub of morning, peddlers 
in small boats, with wicker chairs, fruits and em- 
broideries, and many men and boys diving for 
shilling throws from the deck. One boy, dressed 
in a Dolly Varden costume, diving from the 
promenade deck, 50 feet above the water, caught 
his shilling every time before it reached the bot- 
tom. But the ship's whistle blows, the peddlers 
and the few visitors in summer costumes leave 
us, and we are soon on our way to Gibraltar. 



CHAPTER III 



; GIBRALTAR 

N the morning we were anchored off 
Gibraltar, with one of the great 
"Pillars of Hercules'' before us, which 
dominates everything. The town at its 
base seeming so small, compared with 
the whole great rock, and when we 
landed from the ship's tender we were quite sur- 
prised to find so large a city. One notices at once 
the great numbers of soldiers in uniforms of dif- 
ferent colors, and realize that they are a part of 
the garrison of the rock fortress, which numbers 
6,000. The rock at its highest point is 1,430 feet 
in height, and is two miles and a half long, honey- 
combed with natural caves and passages. Besides 
these, two or three miles of galleries have been 
tunneled through solid rock, and numerous bat- 
teries have been erected, some as high as 1,350 
feet above the sea. 

8 




GIBRALTAR 



9 



The streets of the city are narrow and noisy, 
and a confusion of nationalities, each in their own 
particular dress, with numerous uniformed 
English soldiers, and people, black, white and 
brown, and all very much at home with each 
other, reminds us that we are in a land where 
there is no color line. 

It was Sunday morning, but the markets were 
all open, where live pigs, poultry and fruits were 
for sale, and I think all saw the turbaned Arab 
who was picking the feathers from a live chicken. 
The milk delivery is interesting. The goats are 
driven along the streets and up long flights of 
steps, anywhere where milk is wanted, and is 
drawn while the buyer waits. Pretty sure to be 
all milk, is it not? 

The orange and palm trees grow here, and 
flowers in abundance. A lovely pink geranium 
hanging over a wall was seen on our first visit, 
and returning, a month later, the same plant was 
still in bloom. Far over on the African shore can 
be faintly discerned the other "Pillar of Hercules/' 
and we do not wonder that, in the age of myths 
and fables, these great rocks were supposed to 
have some power over the children of men, and it 
is even now thought to be a perfect symbol of 



io DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



strength and impregnability. Across the bay at 
Algeciras the train was waiting on the wharf to 
take us to Granada. 



CHAPTER IV 



GRANADA, SPAIN 

OR many miles the great Gibraltar 
- rock still dominates the land- 
scape, and when in the distance 
the last blue, hazy outline only could 
be seen, we rather reluctantly turned 
our attention to the scenes about us. 
Our first interest was drawn to the carloads of 
cork waiting on the track for transportation, and 
many take souvenirs away with them. Cork trees 
grow plentifully about us, and the country is in 
many places mountainous, and the deep ravines 
and rushing streams remind us of our own West- 
ern canyons, now so far away. 

As we come into the more cultivated districts, 
it is all very interesting, for we pass through 
miles of olive orchards, whose millions of trees 
cover the valleys and hillsides with their peculiar 

green, very much like our willow. The almond 

ii 



w 



12 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



trees were in full bloom and look much like our 
peach trees. They grow in great abundance, in 
the cactus hedges, which are the chief fences of 
the region. Women here, as in most European 
countries, hold up their little flags at the railroad 
crossings, and men in gangs were hoeing on the 
farms, the handles of their hoes being so short 
that the workmen bend nearly double while at 
their work. Many oxen are used in the farm 
work, and donkeys are used everywhere, many 
of them are seen with their panniers well filled, 
apparently going to market. In the hilly country, 
large flocks of sheep are seen, also goats and 
pigs ; and as there are not many fences, they are 
always tended by a boy or girl, whose monoto- 
nous life must be anything but exhilarating. 

Some small villages with their yellow and white 
cottages look well at a distance, but on nearer 
view the picturesqueness vanishes. 

The people for miles around must have been 
apprised of our coming, for the stations were 
crowded with men, women and children, who 
eagerly took anything given them, ready to quar- 
rel over an egg, or any other remnant of lunch 
passed out by the tourists. They were, however, 
comfortably dressed, and the women had given 



GRANADA, SPAIN 13 



especial attention to their hair, which was gen- 
erally done in pompadour fashion, often with a 
flower for garniture, but they seemed to think that 
the Americans had no end of money, some of 
which they could enjoy, if persistent enough in 
their attentions to us. 

The large bell which generally hangs on the 
station walls rings, and as all are out for a breath 
of air, there is a general rush for compartments, 
and we are soon locked in by the guard, ready to 
start on our journey, but there is no hurry, and in 
the course of time a station employee runs along- 
side the train and rings a hand dinner bell, and 
we think now we are certainly about to start — 
but no, another wait, and the man runs a second 
time, then the engine whistle blows twice, with 
an interval between the whistles, and we are off at 
last. This is the general procedure at all sta- 
tions. 

It was evening when we arrived at Granada, 
and a drive of a mile and a half made in the most 
reckless manner, running the horses and grazing 
other carriages and taking hairbreadth chances, 
brought us to our hotel, where dinner was soon 
served. The Washington Irving Hotel has two 
of its smaller dining rooms finished in old Moor- 



14 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



ish designs, very similar to the beautiful work at 
the Alhambra, which we visited in the morning. 

Ever since childhood have we known of the 
Alhambra and the Moors, but it was to us like a 
phantom picture which is not exactly real, and 
even years ago when we read with great pleasure 
Washington Irving's "Alhambra," we little 
thought we should some day enjoy the grand view 
from the great red tower, should examine the fine 
and intricate patterns which adorn the walls of 
the great palace, should see the halls of marble 
and alabaster, the beautiful impression of per- 
spectives in glancing under succeeding arches, and 
the wonderful ceiling of the Hall of the Abencer- 
rages, which is of cedar, inlaid with mother-of- 
pearl, silver and ivory, and the delicate filigree in 
a state of fine preservation. 

One can only get a partial idea of the vastness 
of this collection of buildings, when we realize 
that not only the entire retinue of one of the most 
brilliant courts of Europe was housed here, but 
also a body guard of 10,000 men, and in the final 
struggle against the Christian it was defended by 
40,000 Moslems. The outdoor courts are still 
kept in order, there is still water in some of the 
fountains, hedges and flowers grow, but the glory 



GRANADA, SPAIN 15 



has departed, the walls are faded, and its marble 
courts are weather stained, but enough is left of 
its former grandeur to make us feel the charm 
which so long held "Our Illustrious Writer" and 
to impress one with its immortality; and coming 
generations will visit the vast enclosure and re- 
call with pleasure the tales of the "Land of the 
Moors." 

From the Alhambra to the Moorish villa, The 
Generaliffe, a quarter of a mile away, is a fine 
road ; on either side are many varieties of tropical 
plants, orange trees and vines of all descriptions. 
The palace is much smaller than the Alhambra, 
the decorations very similar, but the view from 
here is considered by some persons to be much 
finer. 

In the Cathedral, at Granada, where repose, in 
the Royal Chapel (Capilla Real) the remains of 
Ferdinand and Isabella, the two Royal effigies, 
lie on the sarcophagus, two lions repose at their 
feet, and numerous beautiful little statuettes and 
bas-reliefs of highly polished marble make it a 
notable piece of the sculptor's art. In the Crypt 
rests the great Queen Isabella the Catholic, the 
great King Ferdinand V, King Philip I, Queen 
Maud the Mad, and Lady Maria, her daughter, 



16 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



who died at the age of nine years. In the sacristy 
are shown the box in which Isabella the Catholic 
locked her jewels to send them to be pawned, to 
furnish Christopher Columbus with the necessary 
funds to supply the ships for the voyage which 
brought him to America in 1492. This cupboard 
also contains the sword of Ferdinand, the crown 
and sceptre of Isabella, a missal, and some other 
ornaments of the King and Queen. 

While there seems to be horses enough for car- 
riage use, the burden bearers are the donkeys; 
everything is put in their panniers or loaded on 
their backs, from lumber and stone and street 
refuse to meal, corn and fruits, with a man or 
boy on the top of all. The donkey seems to be 
able to carry all that can hang on, and we have 
seen three men with their feet almost hitting the 
ground trotting along apparently quite comfort- 
ably. The milk, as in Gibraltar, is delivered at 
the door, and quite a flock of large, brown goats 
stopped in front of the hotel, while a little girl 
with a pint cup in her hand, was ready to give a 
warm drink to all willing to pay for it. Several 
tried the beverage, but the most of us were quite 
willing to see the others experiment. 

The evenings and mornings were cold, and the 



GRANADA, SPAIN 17 



Spanish gentlemen were wrapped up in their 
"Capas" (cloaks), which were made of black 
or dark blue cloth, falling below the knee and 
lined with plush of some bright color, and a facing 
turned back in front of this gay color, which is 
very effective when thrown gracefully over the 
shoulder, as all Spaniards know how to do. Even 
old and sometimes rather worn garments are pic- 
turesque when properly adjusted. 

When we left our hotel for the train, hundreds 
of people were out to see us, and on our journey 
back to Algeciras the same crowds greeted us as 
in coming up, and the most of us were glad to 
give the better part of our lunch, provided at the 
hotels, including sour wine, which we found im- 
possible to drink, and there was a bottle for every 
person in our party. We gave both of our bot- 
tles, with much of our lunch, to a starved-looking 
woman with three babies hanging to her, and it 
may be she needed it. 

We reached Algeciras about midnight ; the full 
moon was shining over the great Gibraltar rock, 
the air was balmy and springlike as we skimmed 
over the bay where our good ship awaited us. 
Colored fires were burned, electric lights illumi- 
nated the side of the vessel, the band played its 



18 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



most cheerful airs, and we were met at the top of 
the ladder with the most cordial welcome home 
from the captain and officers, and served with a 
full course dinner, with music. To appreciate this 
one must realize that it was I o'clock at night. 
We sought our cabins with the feeling that we 
had reached home and would have a good long 
rest, and our considerate officers omitted the bugle 
call next morning. 



CHAPTER V 



ALGIERS, AFRICA 




E were anchored in the morning off 
) Algiers, with three U. S. gun- 
f boats near us — the Chicago, the 
Cincinnati and the Machias. 
Many small boats, carrying the 
Stars and Stripes, were seen about 



the bay, and Arabs, with their rowboats, were 
preparing to take us ashore. Landing near the 
city, which is built like Funchal, on a steep hill- 
side, and climbing a long flight of stone steps, 
we arrived in one of the principal thoroughfares 
of the city, whose buildings are quite modern, 
largely of white stone with arcade front, and 
where we met with the general activity of a large 
city. 

There are about 90,000 inhabitants, one-half of 
which are French, and their buildings are mostly 
of stone. There are fine shops, wide paved 



20 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



streets and attractive windows. Some of the 
shops are kept by Arabs, and of course we were 
all looking for souvenirs, and finding very soon 
that the price given was not the real selling price, 
we one and all tried our "Yankee" birthright of 
bargaining, and whether we were satisfied or not, 
the dealer was always happy, and still showed his 
wares with the greatest eagerness. We contented 
ourselves with choosing a few small articles, 
knowing that room is precious when there is a 
long journey before us. There were enameled 
goods, silver filigree, curious old weapons, ham- 
mered copper and brass, and many ornaments set 
with semi-precious stones for girdle, neck or hair. 

The climate is so mild that many English and 
French people winter here. There are many 
handsome villas on the road up the heights to 
Mustapha Superieur, where are the modern ho- 
tels, set in tropical green, and as the prevailing 
color of the buildings is white, the contrast is very 
attractive. It is here that the deposed Queen of 
Madagascar resides, an exile, with French espio- 
nage. In the Arab quarter of the town the streets 
are very narrow and irregular, and the shops for 
selling to their own people very small. Fruits 
abound in the markets, and bread is sold by 



ALGIERS, AFRICA 



21 



weight, and if the guess in cutting is not just the 
required quantity, more or less is added to make 
the weight exact. Coffee houses seem to be doing 
the best business, and there were crowds squatting 
about, sometimes gambling, and we go around 
them as they sit in numbers on the sidewalks, 
which are narrow and often not very clean. 

The skin of the Algerian ranges in color from 
white, through all the browns, to a coal black, and 
the men usually wear the turban (just a white 
cloth wound around the head), a nondescript kind 
of a gown, and a sheet (bournous) wrapped about 
the shoulders ; among the lower classes these gar- 
ments are all of dirt color, probably originally 
white. We noticed one man in appearance a per- 
fect gentleman, whose whole dress was made of 
the finest white woolen and immaculately clean; 
he had a very fair complexion and white hair and 
whiskers, but he was not the usual type. 

The women when on the street are closely 
veiled, with full bloomer trousers reaching to the 
ankles (as much as six breadths in each leg). I 
have been told that it takes 14 yards of yard wide 
material to make them. A sheet is thrown over 
the head, a filigree ornament over the forehead, 
and when the material of the garments is clean 



22 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



and of good quality of white goods (it is always 
white originally), it is a very picturesque cos- 
tume, and we did not like to think that the face 
under the veil might be black and ugly. 

The electric cars through the principal streets 
are of American make, and are divided in the 
middle to make two compartments, first and sec- 
ond class, the only difference being that one has a 
cushioned seat and the other has not, and they 
change this cushion at the end of the route, so that 
the first-class compartment may always be on the 
same end of the car. 

The botanical gardens were extremely inter- 
esting, the avenue of palms and the banyan trees 
claiming much attention. The avenue is one-half 
a mile long, and has various varieties of palms, 
some high before reaching the fruit and branches, 
and some quite low, more spreading leaves. The 
fruit is in several colors, ranging from purple and 
brown to yellow and straw color. The bamboo 
trees creaking against each other, and the green 
of the magnolia were interesting, but the banyan 
was strangest of all. Great central trunks, 
which have sent down roots from their wide- 
spreading branches, so that there are many sup- 



'ALGIERS, AFRICA 



23 



porting trunks, forming one tree, is a very curi- 
ous sight. 

A fresh supply of coal was taken on at Algiers 
by Arabs, whose baskets would not hold a peck. 
The process was very slow and the coal dust on 
everything near where the work was being done. 
We also took on fresh water for which, it was 
said, we paid $400. The fish brought us 
here and at Funchal was delicious, and fruits were 
fine. 

There were many visitors, well dressed French 
men, women and children, who seemed to enjoy 
the music as they made an inspection of our boat. 
Our gunboats gave their usual polite invitation 
for us to visit them, and we began to feel that we 
were of considerable importance, and when we 
waved and cheered as we again started on our 
way, and the gunboats dipped their flags, and 
visitors in the small boats waved parting salutes, 
we felt almost sad that one more of our delightful 
visits was ended, while from the deck the picture 
of the clean, white city with its green background, 
the hotels on the heights, and the snow-covered 
peaks of the Atlas Mountains far in the distance, 
was indelibly impressed on our minds, 



CHAPTER VI 



VALETTA, MALTA 



WENTY English warships were 
anchored in the harbor and many 
small boats flying about, making a 
lively scene. Malta is another one of 
England's strongholds, having mas- 
sive fortifications, and 5,000 soldiers 
are kept on the island. The Maltese boatmen ap- 
pear with their curious boats, and we are soon 
ashore, where there were a number of carriages 
in waiting, whose lining and seat covering were 
of white linen, clean and apparently just ironed. 
They looked very inviting, but the most of us pre- 
ferred to climb up the zigzag path leading to the 
top of the high cliff, where we had a splendid view 
of the bay with its ships and fortifications and the 
sea beyond. Passing through a long tunnel hewn 
through the rocks, we reach the Strada Reale, 

which contains the best shops, where the beautiful 

24 




Maltese Lace Kerchief — hand- made 

(See page 25) 



VALETTA, MALTA 25 



Maltese laces are made and exhibited in the win- 
dows, and very few of us left without a souvenir 
of this exquisite handiwork. 

The Maltese ladies have a very peculiar cos- 
tume, made of black, usually silk of fine quality, a 
kind of Quaker bonnet with a long, very full skirt 
gathered or shirred most beautifully attached to 
it, which reaches below the knees, and with one 
end thrown over the shoulder like the Spanish 
"capa," and a short skirt of the same material, 
they make a very fine appearance. 

Many groups of children in fancy costumes 
were about the streets, and we learned there 
would commence on the morrow a three days' 
carnival, when shops would be closed and every- 
body go out merry-making. Children there, as 
well as at home, were in a hurry to don their new 
costumes and masks, and be first to show them- 
selves. 

The Knight Templars of our party were much 
interested in their visit to the palace of the Gov- 
ernor, formerly the residence of the Grand Mas- 
ter of the Knights, who flourished here hundreds 
of years ago in the crusading days, when the 
Knights of Malta and the Knight Templars were 
a military as well as a religious order, whose ob- 



26 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



ject was the propagation of Christianity by means 
of the Gospel allied to the sword. 

The Church of St. John also was visited, where 
there are solid silver gates to> one of the chapels. 
Many famous Knights are buried here, and there 
is a mosaic pavement of colored marbles, jasper 
and agate. 

The train which took us to the interior of the 
island was made up of cars without cushions, and 
the traveling was like being on a corduroy road, 
but we were all in a happy mood and enjoyed 
even the forlorn looking country with its dilapi- 
dated yellow stone houses and its small pieces of 
land surrounded by half tumbled down yellow 
stone walls. 

At last arriving at Citta Vecchio, the first thing 
arresting our attention was a sloping bank, cov- 
ered thickly with pink and white wild mountain 
daisies, the one bright spot amidst the very inter- 
esting old ruins of the past. The Cathedral, which 
is handsomely decorated, and the floor of mosaics, 
which the day of our visit was strewn with green 
leaves in preparation for some church festival, 
was rather striking in color and design, and the 
people are extremely proud of it. It is not ancient, 
but was built on the site of the house where St. 



VALETTA, MALTA 27 



Paul was entertained after he was shipwrecked 
on this island of Melita (now called Malta). 
There is a marble figure holding a lamp in the 
grotto where, it is said, St. Paul lived for three 
months, and on the way over our guide pointed 
out the bay where St. Paul was shipwrecked. 
Acts, Chapters 27 and 28. 

The life of the old city is principally confined 
to the main street, and the people look like the 
forgotten remnant of a lost race. A small build- 
ing has been erected near the railroad station as 
a museum, and in some quite recent excavation 
was found an old Roman house about 2,000 years 
old, whose old mosaic floors and decorated frieze 
are well preserved. 

Returning to Valetta, we lunched and de- 
scended to the harbor by means of long flights of 
stairs on one of the narrow and fearfully steep 
streets, and we wonder how carriages ever ascend 
this cliff. 



CHAPTER VII 



ATHENS, GREECE 




E had celebrated "Washington's 
Birthday/' had a fine Sunday ser- 
mon and a good rest, when our 
anchor dropped in the harbor of 
Piraeus and found ourselves sur- 
rounded on all sides by Russian 
warships. How beautiful they appeared in their 
immaculate whiteness. I suppose many of those 
strikingly handsome boats are now at the bottom 
of the "Seap of Japan." Large rowboats were in 
waiting to take us to the railway station, one mile 
up the harbor, where we boarded the train for 
Athens, five miles away. Although the wharf 
was covered with the same kind of an unkept 
crowd found in all countries, we were soon in- 
terested in the dress of some Greek soldiers wear- 
ing very full, very short ballet dancer skirts with 

white tights and low shoes, whose turned-up toes 

28 



ATHENS, GREECE 



29 



were decorated with large, black pompons. Black 
garters with tassels, a coat, ornamented with 
many brass buttons, while a short sword com- 
pleted this peculiar costume, which we learned 
was the uniform of some of Greece's bravest 
soldiers, and recall our first view of the High- 
landers of Scotland in their native tartan plaids, 
imagining the pride of the man who has the dis- 
tinction of wearing one of these celebrated cos- 
tumes. The uniform of the main body of Greek 
soldiers is very much like our own, and there are 
many of them about the streets. 

We first visited "The Theseum," which was 
built 2,400 years ago. It is much smaller than the 
Parthenon, but is considered the most beautiful 
of all Greek temples, and it is the best preserved. 
Beyond this we find a rock, from which orators 
of olden times addressed the people; and a cave 
with iron gratings, said to be the prison of the 
great Socrates before he was made to drink the 
fatal hemlock; then a rough, rocky hill with 15 
steps leading to the top called the "Areopagus" or 
Mars Hill, from which St. Paul delivered his 
scathing denunciation to the people of Athens. 
Our way gradually ascends to the foot of the 
great staircase, which is quite dilapidated, whose 



3Q DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



marble steps lead through the "Propylsea" or 
grand entrance portico to the summit of the 
Acropolis. 

It is difficult to separate the real from the myth- 
ical in the interesting tales woven around this fa- 
mous rock, whose precipitous sides are bare of 
vegetation excepting a few little plants which 
grow in its crevices, for the old Athenians be- 
lieved implicitly in the God-like character of their 
ancestry, and stories of their fathers are inter- 
woven with all the stories of real life, so, after 
we have ascended the great staircase and entered 
the "Erectheum" or Temple in which was once a 
seated figure of the Goddess Athena, with its fa- 
mous portico of the Caryatides, when we have 
seen the foundations on which stood the colossal 
statue of Athena in bronze, 60 feet high, whose 
gold-pointed spear could be seen by mariners 
many miles out at sea, and when at last we reach 
"The Parthenon," with its fine Doric columns in 
white marble, which 1,500 years ago> contained 
the wonderful statue of Athena, carved by the 
great Phidias, and covered with gleaming ivory 
and gold, when they tell us that these walls, colos- 
sal but plain without, "once blazed within with 
curiously wrought meal or brilliant colored plas- 



ATHENS, GREECE 31 



ter, the doors encased in beaten bronze, bronze 
hinges, and the handles richly wrought in gold 
and silver, the halls softened by woven hangings, 
royal seats and couches of carved wood inlaid 
with dyed ivory, gold or amber," while we must 
believe in historical facts, we like to weave about 
these old ruins the seemingly mythical stories of 
the past, and in making our second visit to this 
rocky plateau, we enjoyed picturing in imagina- 
tion the Acropolis crowded with statues, the most 
beautiful the world had even seen, restoring the 
fallen columns and installing again the "great 
protectress," "The Goddess Athena," possibly we 
worshipped at her shrine as we recalled her Godly 
ancestry and her example of the highest ideals 
for the people of Athens. 

Just below the Acropolis are the ruins of the 
Odeon or Theatre of Herodes Attikus, whose 
stone seats had a seating capacity for 6,000 spec- 
tators, and whose floor and stage were in good 
state of preservation. 

The great Theatre of Dionysos has a capacity 
for 30,000 people on its stone seats. The people 
carried cushions to make themselves comfortable. 
The first row was reserved for the priests, and 
their names are engraved on them, and the large 



32 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



carved center seats were reserved for the bishop 
and his officials. We sat in the official chairs, as 
did all who wished to, each with his own imagin- 
ings ; but it is safe to say that we were living in 
the past. 

There are only 15 of the hundreds of Corin- 
thian columns of the magnificent Temple of Jupi- 
ter remaining, one of the largest temples of an- 
tiquity. We left with regret these reminders of 
bygone splendors and drove to the Stadium, where 
the Olympian games are played, and where our 
own boys, in some trial of skill, have recently 
been declared champion. The seating capacity is 
50,000, and the whole Stadium is built of white 
marble and resembles in shape our own baseball 
amphitheatre. 

There is nothing very different from our own 
in the general aspect of the streets, and we felt 
a little disappointed that the Crown Prince and 
Princess of Greece, whom we met several times 
driving in an open carriage, were not strikingly 
different in appearance from the rest of us. 

Several funerals were seen, and coffins were 
carried open through the streets, a man walking 
behind carrying the lid of the coffin. 

Our hotel opened on a public square, and there 



ATHENS, GREECE 33 



were many orange trees with fruit, and pepper 
trees for shade, while a band stand with its sur- 
rounding seats had a very every-day appearance. 

Again our anchor was raised and we very 
slowly made our way from our position among 
the warships, while our band played the Russian 
Hymn and run up the Russian flag. The Russians 
returned the salute, played a National air, doffed 
their caps as we waved a good-bye, and we were 
soon taking a last view of the Acropolis and Par- 
thenon and of the city whose splendors once out- 
shone all others; the renowned center of refine- 
ment, wealth and culture. 



CHAPTER VIII 



ON THE SEA 




TEAMING northward through the 
^Egean Sea the weather is grow- 
ing colder and winter wraps are 
comfortable. 

At the Dardanelles the Turkish quar- 
antine physician in red fez and fur- 
lined overcoat comes alongside in a small boat 
to receive the report of our ship's doctor, and it 
is said that the fees are sometimes large, so as 
we very soon passed the great fortifications, sup- 
pose the size of the tip was satisfactory. 

We now have changed the name of our director 
from a guide to a dragoman, and some of them 
are highly incensed if they are called simply a 
guide- A dragoman is supposed to be a better 
informed person than a guide. Our dragoman 
tells us that the half dozen Turkish naval vessels 
lying here are useless, but the forts and batteries 

34 



OH THE SEA 



35 



are in good condition, that no foreign naval ves- 
sel is allowed to pass through the Hellespont at 
any time, and no vessel of any kind is permitted 
to enter after dark, by order of the Sultan, who 
closely watches all approaches to his capital. On 
the right of us is the site of the old city of Troy, 
where Paris and the stolen Helen lived for ten 
years. Also the scene of the Trojan War, and in 
the narrowest part of the strait, on a bridge of 
boats, once crossed the Persian army of millions, 
where Alexander and his conquering legions 
passed safely, and where Leander swam across to 
Hero, and where Byron accomplished the same 
feat. 

After passing through the Sea of Marmora we 
anchored, toward evening, in sight of the domes 
and minarets of Constantinople. 



CHAPTER IX 




CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY 

T was near evening, and as there are 
no electric lights and only a portion 
of the streets 'lighted at all, it was not 
thought prudent for the tourists to go 
ashore, and we contented ourselves 
with looking at the beautiful city with 
its hundreds of minarets and domes, or on the 
opposite side of the Bosphorus to> Scutari, where 
in its famous hospital Florence Nightingale nursed 
so many British soldiers during the Crimean War. 

The stream of water called the "Golden Horn" 
divides the city into two sections; one side is 
called Galata, along the shore, and Pera on the 
hill. French, English and German and all for- 
eigners live on the hill, the home of the ambassa- 
dors, and the wealthy classes, and also some of the 
palaces of the Sultan are in this upper part of 
the city. 

The other side of the Golden Horn is called 

36 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY. 37 



Stamboul, and is occupied exclusively by the 
Turks. 

Among the official boats coming out to us in 
the stream was one with the Stars and Stripes 
floating in the breeze, containing our Consul- 
General, Mr. Dickenson, and his wife, who, I am 
told, gives a cordial welcome to all Americans. 

We had the great pleasure of being presented to 
them by their old friend and townsman, Major 
Olmstead, a retired army officer, and invited to 
join their party in seeing the sights of the great 
city. 

We were delighted, of course, at the prospect 
of having such a guidance, and in the morning, at 
the appointed hour, were met at the landing by 
Miss Mason, the adopted daughter of the Dicken- 
sons, whose charming presence and thorough 
knowledge of things worth seeing made every 
hour of our visit most interesting. 

Sitting beside their driver, who is in livery, on 
the Consul's carriage, was always one of his 
kavasses or body guard, his blue suit trimmed all 
over with gold lace, straps and buttons, with 
short sword and other arms at his side, who 
speaks fair English, and always accompanies any 
of the family in their drives or other expedition. 



38 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



Our first drive over the Golden Horn was to 
Stamboul, crossing on the famous old pontoon 
bridge. There were several white-shirted men 
in line collecting 10 paras, equal to I cent, for 
toll, and before we arrive at the other end of the 
bridge, we wonder what nationality is missing, 
for there are people of every color, and it seems 
as if every variety of costume could be found. 
Mussulmans are obliged to wear either the fez or 
the turban on the head, and the red fez predomi- 
nates, but there is almost every kind of headgear 
and dress in evidence. 

The soldier in his blue uniform wears the red 
fez, the better class of Turks with well-fitting 
European clothing wear the red fez, but the 
Moslem priests wear the turban, made by twisting 
a white cloth about the head, and if he has made 
the pilgrimage to Mecca, he wears a green turban. 
We chanced to see one of these men put on his 
turban — nothing but a piece of white cloth as 
large as a towel — and he did it so deftly that it 
looked as easy as putting on a cap. 

The transportation of all kinds of merchandise 
on the backs and shoulders of men at once claims 
our attention and our pity. They have a wooden 
frame strapped to their shoulders, and everything 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY 39 

that we load in carts and wagons these poor men 
carry. Nothing unusual to see a huge bundle of 
rugs, a load of hides of animals, dry goods boxes, 
baskets of fruit and vegetables, barrels filled with 
all sorts of things, tables of sweets, and men sell- 
ing dates and nut-meats, carrying their scales for 
weighing in their hands, and vendors of refresh- 
ing drinks carrying a brass jar on the hip, and in 
one hand clanging two brass cups together to at- 
tract attention. 

And then we see the Greek priest with his 
peculiar stove-pipe hat, Nubians from Africa, 
Hungarians and Slavs, wearing coats made of 
hides, many cripples and beggars, and a very few 
women with covered faces. We are glad we are 
not obliged to walk across this bridge. 

The streets of Stamboul are so narrow and 
irregular that it would seem impossible to us to 
drive through them, but the driver seems some- 
how to get where he wants to go, and we alight 
at the funny little shops like boxes, where one 
could not stand in them, but do our buying out- 
side, while the proprietors sit inside. There were 
a number of these boxes, where scribes were 
writing for people who could not do it themselves. 
They were very deliberate in their work, and when 



40 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



they had completed their writing, sanded it in the 
old-fashioned way. In one of these box shops we 
had our names graven in Turkish characters on 
small seals for souvenirs, the queer part being the 
reading of the names by the engraver, when they 
were called for the following day. 

The Grand Bazar is, as everywhere, the great 
shopping place ; its streets are so crooked we could 
not for one moment feel sure of ourselves if left 
alone. There are 1,200 of these roofed streets, 
100 entrances, and 4,000 shops. Nobody expects 
to pay the prices asked in any of these shops, and 
it is understood that the selling price is very much 
lower, and gives both purchaser and dealer a 
chance to do a good deal of bargaining, which 
they both enjoy. 

The streets are in such terrible condition that if 
we were at home, we certainly would not drive, 
but with our kavass on the box we drive into the 
crowds as if the only people to be considered are 
ourselves, and somehow nobody gets hurt. 

There are 900,000 persons in Constantinople, 
and we think they were all in the streets, as some 
of the streets seem solid full of humanity; and 
the red fezes, the ever-moving crowd, the cobble- 
stone streets, very much out of repair, and the 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY 41 

dogs and dogs, make a living picture not easy to 
forget. 

The dogs are very much at home anywhere 
they find themselves, and we learn to step over 
them if they are trying to get a nap in some hol- 
low of the sidewalk. The poor things have no 
homes but the streets, are a mangy, mongrel lot, 
but are useful in cleaning up the refuse thrown out 
at night, when they fight and howl and do the 
work of a "Street Cleaning Department." 

In all parts of the city in Stamboul, and also in 
Pera, are many old, dilapidated buildings, with 
stovepipes here and there put up in the most reck- 
less way, and men are kept in constant lookout 
for fires. 

We saw their most remarkable fire department, 
which was a great curiosity. The engine, which 
was about the size of a country washtub, with 
pumping handles on the sides, was carried on the 
shoulders of four men, relieved at intervals by 
other four men. They were dressed in white cot- 
ton shirts and very short trousers, bare legs and 
feet, and bareheaded; they must be of great ser- 
vice in case of fire. 

While we were inspecting the wonderful reser- 
voirs under the city, reminding us of the story of 



42 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



the "Prince of India," by Lew Wallace, and where 
the Jewess Lael was imprisoned, our Consul's 
daughter informed us that an especial treat had 
been arranged for us in the acceptance of an in- 
vitation to be present at the ceremony of a real 
Turkish wedding, and we were delighted, and 
although the men could not enter the harem, they 
were entertained in a room outside, where they 
congratulated the bridegroom, who was in full 
Turkish military uniform, and smoked cigarettes, 
drank coffee, and ate Turkish delight, a confec- 
tion much used throughout the East. Following 
our conductor up a long flight of stairs into the 
harem, where many women were standing about, 
we being as much of a curiosity as the bride, 
through halls and corridors to the drawing room, 
which was handsomely furnished in delicate blue 
and lemon-colored brocatel and plush, we were 
given chairs. 

Between the front windows was a raised dais 
of three steps covered with the blue plush and a 
small sofa on it. A brazier fully three feet in di- 
ameter filled with hot coals was in the center of 
the room, where the women, after making their 
cigarettes, lighted them and smoked constantly, 
and we were treated several times to Turkish de- 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY 43 

light and coffee, while trying to talk a little with 
one of the sisters of the bride who had been edu- 
cated in France. She was dressed in a costume of 
mauve-colored velvet with lace trimmings and all 
accessories, making a fine reception gown, and a 
younger sister was in blue velvet with a floral 
pattern, both costumes quite Frenchy and chic, 
while all the rest of the many women were in the 
Turkish indoor costume of loose sack and skirt, 
and, to our mind, general shapelessness. 

At last we heard a rustle, and saw the bride 
approaching with a very tall, handsome Nubian 
eunuch on one side of her and a female black slave 
on the other. The bride was attired in a lavender 
satin gown, made somewhat after the Turkish 
fashion, but with a slight attempt to have it look 
Frenchy. The skirt was quite long, and a veil of 
Turkish crepe with pleats standing up from the 
head hung to the floor in the back. 

Going round the head from the temples was a 
shimmering silver tinsel which hung to the floor 
and made walking a difficult matter. She had a 
cluster of diamonds stuck on the middle of the 
forehead, one on each cheek, and another on the 
chin, and there were no gloves. 

She was seated on the dais, and her gown ar- 



44 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



ranged by her mother and sisters, who sometimes 
stepped back from her to get the effect, and the 
bride acted like a jointed doll, and stayed just as 
they bent her, never saying a word or changing 
her expression of countenance; she might lose 
her jewels if she did, and she sat in this position 
some time, and everybody admired and talked it 
over. Then she was conducted to another room, 
to be seen by more admirers. There was one 
woman present to whom all paid great respect by 
making a very low salaam and kissing her hand. 
We were asked if we would see the wedding 
presents and bride's chamber, and went into a 
rather small room, where everything was covered 
in red satin, embroidered in white; bed, chair or 
couch, table and curtains, all in this gorgeous 
coloring. 

The presents were mostly in gold and silver, 
very few of which we understood their use. As 
we came out we noticed that the women and girls 
were all covering their faces, and that the bride 
had gone down to the first landing of the stairs 
and her veil was over her face. 

Soon the same eunuch who conducted the bride 
to the drawing room appeared with the bride- 
groom, each taking an arm of the bride, ascended 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY, 45 



the steps and passed through the room ; the eunuch 
pushed the bridal pair into the room we had in- 
spected and closed the door, while he and all the 
rest laughed in the greatest glee, and acted like 
children (which they are in manners and educa- 
tion). In a few minutes the bride and groom re- 
appeared, the bride's veil was thrown back from 
her face (it is supposed that the bridegroom has 
never seen her face until now) and the eunuch 
threw handfuls of small coin to the ceiling, which 
scattered all over the floor, and we (I followed 
Miss Mason's lead; she told me afterwards it 
would have been thought ungracious to have done 
otherwise) went down on hands and knees and 
scrambled for the money. Everybody was merry 
and laughing all the time, and I brought seven 
pieces home as souvenirs. 

All that remains after three days of this cere- 
mony to make the happy couple man and wife is 
the signing of the register. 

Very few nicely dressed women are seen on the 
streets, a few bright colored satins and silks are 
worn, but the majority are clothed in black, their 
faces always covered with black, or black with 
colored flowers, only the eyes are visible. They 
always wear the large shawl, usually like the skirt, 



46 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



which is put over the head and conceals the hair 
and forehead. 

In spite of all the squalor and dirt, Constanti- 
nople has numerous fountains of water, some of 
them large and beautiful. 

A true Moslem abstains from all intoxicants, 
and is obliged to perform ablutions before en- 
tering the mosque for prayer, so there are drink- 
ing fountains with cups and washing basins ad- 
joining all places of worship. 

The Moslem stops here, removes his shoes, 
washes his hands and feet, and after placing his 
shoes in a place provided, he takes his place 
among the worshippers, facing the direction of 
Mecca, which is indicated in all mosques by a 
black stone set in the wall. He then raises his 
hands to his head, then drops them crossed before 
him for a moment, then kneels, bowing forward 
on his knees, until his head touches the floor; then 
the worshippers form in line, the priests read from 
the Koran (their Bible), the people kneel and bow 
again, always facing toward the Holy City. 

There are no women worshippers, and although 
there is a small room in the rear provided for 
them to look on at the services, the place is not 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY 47 



usually occupied. I think it is believed that they 
have no souls. 

We had the unusual treat, through Miss Mason 
and her kavass, of entering "The Great Mosque 
of St. Sophia" when the place was filled with 
worshippers. We went through a small door in 
the rear of the edifice, traversed many long corri- 
dors, arriving at the galleries overlooking the 
worshipping body. 

There are many open spaces in the roofs and 
domes where the pigeons have free access, their 
presence unnoticed by the worshippers. 

Cautioned against making unnecessary noises, 
we made our inspection of these wonderful gal- 
leries, while the cadence of distant voices far be- 
low added a charm to this most curious of scenes. 

Remaining here until the principal part of the 
service was over, and the people dispersing, we 
went below and stood under the great dome, rising 
1 80 feet above our heads, and tried to recall its 
history. 

Fifteen hundred years ago the Emperor Jus- 
tinian employed ten thousand men, under 100 
architects, in building this, one of the world's 
greatest and most famous churches, and to add to 
its splendors, the temples of the ancient Gods at 



48 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



Heliopolis and Ephesus, at Delos and Baalbec, at 
Athens and Cyzicus, were plundered of their col- 
umns. It had all the ornaments of a Christian 
church, its altar of silver and gold, its bishop's 
chair, plated with silver, and doors of cedar, 
ivory, amber and silver platings, wonderful pic- 
tures in gorgeous setting, and this in all its mag- 
nificence was used as a Christian church for 1,000 
years, when the invading army of Mohammed II 
captured Constantinople, and as the Moslems do 
not believe in statues or pictures of living things, 
everything of this nature was torn out or covered 
up, and we now see only the stone walls (which 
are, nevertheless, beautiful in themselves), with 
the Mecca stone and lovely chandeliers as orna- 
ments, and the turbaned Turks as worshippers. 

There were many little groups still at prayer, 
and apparently a school class listening, when we 
inserted our feet into the immense Turkish slip- 
pers, supplied at the door, and shuffled along as 
best we could, afraid of losing one of them and 
stepping in our own shoes upon the rugs which 
cover the place. Indeed, every mosque is cov- 
ered with real Eastern rugs, and these are truly 
the prayer rug. Some of them are woven in rows 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY 49 



and rows of 2 by 4 feet squares, just enough for 
one of the devout kneelers. 

The interior of this mosque covers more than 
an acre of ground, the outside with its central 
dome and surrounding minarets is very imposing, 
and when the Muezzin in the high gallery of the 
minaret announces from the four sides, at the 
four points of the compass, that the faithful must 
come and pray, it is quite impressive. 

This call is made five times daily, and one can 
hear them at quite a distance. We were fortunate 
in hearing the call many times; it is a peculiar 
sing-song which is very penetrating. 

One day we lunched under the shadow of one 
of the great mosques at a small park, much fre- 
quented by priests, many of them wearing the 
green turban, which tells that they have made the 
pilgrimage to Mecca, which is in Arabia, about 
45 miles from the Red Rea, and where Moham- 
med, or Mahomet, the founder of Islam, first ap- 
peared as a prophet, and where each year thou- 
sands of caravans, with pilgrims who are under 
solemn vows, visit the great holy mosque and per- 
form their devotions. 

We were watched with much interest, and 
while selecting our rustic table and seats, our 



50 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



kavass disappeared, and after some waiting, there 
appeared several men carrying trays on their 
heads containing our repast, made up principally 
of Turkish dishes. 

There were co-bobs (small pieces of meat, prob- 
ably kid), strung on skewers and nicely roasted 
over hot coals, which all pronounced good, several 
vegetables, maholiby, a kind of pudding eaten 
with a peculiar spoon, buffalo cheese, and Persian 
tea, served in red and amber decorated glass cups. 

About the time we finished our lunch, the Muez- 
zin in the minaret above us gave the call to prayer, 
and many of the priests left us. 

While entering our carriage we noticed two 
funerals in front of the mosque. The bodies of 
the dead are never carried into the sacred place, 
but there is some kind of a service outside, and 
the chanting of the men and boys, repeating the 
Koran as they march away to the cemeteries, is 
of such a common occurrence that it ceases to be 
a curiosity. Sometimes the coffin is borrowed for 
the occasion, and we saw a party of young men 
carrying the body of their comrade to be buried, 
and passing the same part of the city later in the 
day we saw the same party, and one of them had 



CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY, $i 



the empty, plain, wooden coffin on his shoulders, 
and was chatting along with the rest. 

The Dervishes still exist throughout the East. 
In Turkey they are a regular religious order, who 
subsist by jugglery or mendicancy, and they rep- 
resent the spiritual or mystic side of Islam, but are 
regarded with jealousy by the Sultan, and some 
of the orders have been suppressed. The Howl- 
ing and the Spinning Dervishes, who dance and 
spin to the music of flute or tambourine and the 
cries of the dancers, are one of the curious sights 
of the country. 



CHAPTER X 
islam's capital 



^ HE Imperial Museum of Antiquities 
was made doubly interesting by the 
enthusiasm of our charming hostess, 
who showed us, among other things, 
the Jerusalem stone, discovered about 
thirty years ago, which was formerly 
in Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem, and is marked 
with an inscription giving the reason why Jesus 
drove the traders from the temple and the sar- 
cophagi of Alexander and The Weepers, which 
was unearthed with others at Sidon, 17 years ago, 
and which are two of the most wonderful pieces 
of sculpture in existence, made only about 100 
years after the great Parthenon at Athens. The 
beautiful and delicate coloring (a pale pink or 
flesh color) called "Greek polychromy" was at that 
time applied to sculpture, and this color scheme is 
supposed to be the same as was used in the great 
temples of that country. 



ISLAM'S CAPITAL 53 



Our Consul-General is of the opinion that it is 
worth a trip to Constantinople for any lover of 
art to see these magnificent specimens of the 
sculptor's workmanship. 

To visit the Imperial Treasury one must have a 
permit from the Sultan. Only a small portion of 
the Treasury is shown to visitors, but there is so 
much to be seen that we wonder what the rest 
can be. There were state harnesses blazing with 
jewels and gold, gem-studded cimeters and robes, 
exquisitely engraved armor, and the display of 
jewels was truly magnificent. The inlaid Persian 
throne, set with emeralds and rubies, taken from 
the Shah of Persia 400 years ago is gorgeous, 
and the throne of a former Sultan, inlaid with 
pearls and turquoise, is valued at five millions of 
dollars. 

In the beautiful white marble palace on Sera- 
glio Point within the Treasury grounds, we were 
served by a servant of the Sultan to Turkish de- 
light, tea and coffee, and wandered about the gar- 
dens and the rooms of the old Seraglio, whose 
decorations were very handsome. One in particu- 
lar was inlaid with mother-of-pearl over the en- 
tire wall and ceiling, and the little curtained bal- 
conies where the beauties of the Harem have no 



S4 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



doubt spent their idle hours, were inviting, but 
when they told us that the inclined plane could 
still be seen, where faithless odalisques were rolled 
into the sea, we did not envy them their surround- 
ings. 

A short drive across the Galata bridge, through 
the ever interesting kaleidoscope of color and cos- 
tume brings us to another marble palace where 
twice a year the Sultan holds a grand reception, 
and we are told that he is so afraid of molestation 
by the people that he invariably takes a different 
route than the one on the official program. 

The beauty of the magnificent staircase defies 
description, and the whole palace is supposed to 
be much richer than the one in Pera where the 
Sultan chooses to live. This last one is not more 
than an eighth of a mile from his especial Mosque, 
where every Friday (this day is the Mohammedan 
Sabbath), the Salamlyk, or Sultan's procession to 
the mosque, is celebrated. 

Some of our party went as early as 10 o'clock 
in the morning to get a good position to see the 
procession at r o'clock p. m. But there was plenty 
to interest them, and the time passed rapidly in 
watching the gathering multitude, the many 



ISLAM'S CAPITAL 55 



colors of the different regiments, the carriages of 
the officials, etc. 

To those who are favored with tickets, there is 
a high wall covered on the top with a garden and 
a kiosk where the tickets are examined; there is 
a balustrade about the garden, with shade and 
seats. As the ambassadors, minister and Consuls 
with their guests arrived with drivers and kavass 
in gold lace and clanking sword, and we saw our 
good captain in stove-pipe hat and citizen's dress 
and felt that we were a part of this great moving 
spectacle, it was difficult to remember that all this 
display, with its companies of infantry and cav- 
alry, with most gorgeous trappings, companies of 
Arabs, Albanians and Turks, all in different col- 
ored uniform, marching and counter-marching 
with many bands of music, country people on foot, 
peddlers of things to eat and drink, is the same 
every Friday, only a slight difference in the vis- 
itors. 

The bands at last ceased their music, and we 
are watching the palace, which is in full view. 
We see that the street for the whole distance has 
not only been cleaned, but that fresh sand covers 
it. There are soldiers everywhere and five or six 
closed carriages, said to be filled with Sultanas, 



56 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



accompanied by officials on horseback and a long 
line of officers on foot in handsome uniform, and 
at last the carriage of the Sultan, drawn by hand- 
some horses in gold-mounted harnesses. 

We are cautioned not to speak the Sultan's 
name, but he was welcomed all along the route 
by shouting troops, but aside from this outburst 
everything was as quiet as possible. Arriving at 
the mosque the horses were unhitched from the 
vehicle, the Sultanas waiting in the carriages 
while the Sultan enters the mosque and all tumult 
ceases. Then into the "midst of the great silence" 
burst the tuneful voice of the Muezzin high in the 
minaret calling to all four points of the compass : 

"God is Great! 
God is Great! 
I bear witness there is no other God but God! 
I bear witness that Mahomet is the Prophet of God! 
Come to Prayer! 
Come to Prayer! 
Come unto Salvation! 
God is Great! 
God is Great! 
There is no other God but God!" 

-) 

And this song has been sung for more than 
1,200 years from all the minarets of Islam. 



ISLAM'S CAPITAL . 57 

After waiting a half hour, the Sultan reappears, 
this time in an open carriage, and drives back to 
the palace, bowing graciously to the cheering 
crowd, and especially to the people up in the gar- 
den, who are treated to cigarettes and confection, 
it is said at his expense, and the bands play, the 
hubbub and excitement is general, and we start 
on a very dusty drive through Pera. 



CHAPTER XI 



SMYRNA, SYRIA, AND BEIRUT, DAMASCUS 

FTER sailing through the Bosphorus, 
passing Roberts Cottage, where the 
boys waved the American flag, and 
gave us three cheers, and taking a 
long sweep into the Black Sea, we 
retraced our journey through the 
Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmora and the Dar- 
danelles, leaving the "enchanted city" with its 
domes and minarets behind us. 

We were often cautioned while on the streets 
and in the bazars at Smyrna against thieves, some 
German tourists having been robbed on the pre- 
ceding day, so we hurried through the motley 
crowd, made a few purchases in the bazar, and 
some took carriages to visit the tomb of Polycarp, 
who was the first Bishop of the place, on the high 
eminence back of the city, and some went by train 
to Ephesus, to see the ruins of the great Temple of 

58 




SMYRNA, SYRIA, AND BEIRUT 59 



Diana, which 2,000 years ago was considered one 
of the seven wonders of the world. In Ephesus 
St. Paul preached, and afterward wrote the Epis- 
tle to the Church. 

Services in the Greek church in Smyrna were 
much enjoyed, although we could understand 
nothing of what the portly bearded priest was so 
earnestly saying. The house was packed with 
men wearing their hats, and as there were no 
seats, all were standing and moving about more 
or less. 

The city has a population of 200,000, but for 
some reason it did not appear very interesting, 
and we were soon steaming away past the isle of 
Patmos, where St. John wrote the Book of Reve- 
lations, and past the island of Rhodes, with its 
rocky, dangerous shore, toward Beirut, the 
ancient Berytis, the most important seaport and 
commercial town in Syria. 

We first saw this clean-looking city in the 
morning, and its yellow and white houses, with 
the majestic Lebanon in the background, its 
snowy peaks bathed in the morning sunshine, and 
when, after landing, we were told that the many 
trinkets for sale on the streets and in the bazar 
were made and brought down from Lebanon, we 



66 DREAMS 0F> YESTERDAYS 



tried to realize that we were nearing the land 
made so interesting by tradition and story. 

The city has a population of 120,000 and is the 
center of missionary work in Syria, 

There is a German as well as an American 
college, and we afterward met a young Arab who 
was being educated here. He spoke English flu- 
ently and was very enthusiastic, earning necessary 
funds to complete his education by becoming a 
dragoman. 

Many went by train about seventy miles to 
Damascus, one of the oldest of existing cities. 
While the ancient cities along the Nile are only 
known by their ruined temples, while Babylon is 
a heap on the desert, and Tyre a ruin on the shore, 
Damascus is, as it has been for thousands of years, 
a mighty city of great influence in the region 
about it. 

It was founded by Uz, the great-grandson of 
Noah. The cause of its importance as a city in 
all ages is a stream of rushing, limpid water, 
which springs at the base of Anti-Lebanon, cre- 
ating a wide area of prolific vegetation, and while 
the desert is a fortification round Damascus, the 
river is its life. 

Among its marble minarets and domes a maze 



1 SMYRNA, SYRIA, AND BEIRUT 61 

of bloom and fruitage, with the green of olive, 
orange and other various tints, presents a striking 
contrast to the desert which surrounds it. 

But Damascus remains an Oriental city. Cara- 
vans come and go from Bagdad and Mecca, mer- 
chants sit and smoke in their dim bazars, the cof- 
fee houses are full of drowsy groups, and the 
brilliant costumes of the East mingle in the 
streets. 

The street called Straight runs across the city 
and is a mile in length, and the place in the wall 
from which St. Paul was let down in a basket 
when escaping from the city is shown to visitors. 

The line of railroad from Beirut passes 
through beautiful and picturesque scenes, un- 
til we reach the higher elevations; the high- 
est, I think, is something like 3,500 feet. 
At an elevation of about 6,300 feet above 
the sea are the "Cedars of Lebanon." The 
principal grove, now extant, consists of about 400 
trees, and is protected by a high stone wall, and 
from every point stands out like an oasis in the 
desert, presenting a striking contrast to the gen- 
eral barrenness surrounding it. These cedars are 
famed throughout Christendom on account of the 
frequent reference made to them in the Scrip- 



62 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



tures, and also by classical writers. King David 
built a house in Jerusalem 3,000 years ago from 
the wood of these trees, and they were used in 
the building of the second temple. At Caifa, 50 
or 60 passengers went ashore to go to Nazareth 
and the Sea of Galilee, and a camping trip through 
the interior of Palestine, and by donkey to Jeru- 
salem. There was only one woman in the party, 
and she reported a hard but very enjoyable jour- 
ney. 

Who has not heard of the dreaded, ugly-looking 
rocks in the roadstead at Jaffa (or Joppa) ? There 
is no harbor. Our great ship anchored far out- 
side the reefs and the hubbub of the Arab boat- 
men commences outside, and we embark in small 
boats (holding about twenty people) for the shore. 
The water was smooth, and we think the talk of 
this dreaded landing is overdone. 

We are becoming accustomed to the Arabs, 
with their turbans and bright colored wraps, the 
pandemonium of yells and gesticulations, but to 
see them treated like beasts we were were quite 
unprepared. For instance, our baggage, consist- 
ing principally of large valises, were piled on can- 
vas squares, as many as a dozen or twenty, and 
then tied at the corners, and the poor creatures 



SMYRNA, SYRIA, AND BEIRUT 63 



took these bundles, with ropes tied around their 
foreheads, to hold them off the ground, and car- 
ried them on their backs a good one-half mile to 
the railroad station. One Arab had a good-sized 
steamer trunk in with the valises. 

We walked about one-half the way through 
markets, tumbled down shops and uneven streets, 
seeing squads of Russian pilgrims, Arabs, Jews, 
and people of all colors, and then were carried by 
carriage to the station, the Jehus whipping their 
horses, and general excitement reigned. 



CHAPTER XII 



JERUSALEM, PALESTINE 

fAFFA is noted for its oranges, and 
we bought a basket holding nearly 
peck for twenty cents, and they were 
iscious. 
Soon after we were passing through 
miles and miles of orange orchards, 
whose fruit-laden branches reached the ground. 
There were fig trees, almond trees, rows of euca- 
lyptus trees, and the cactus fences, as in Spain. 
Everything seems to grow luxuriantly. Farmers 
are plowing with camel, ox or donkey, the ox and 
donkey sometimes hitched together, and we try 
to remember that we are in the midst of historical 
Bible scenes. 

Our dragoman points out the "Plains of 
Sharon/' whose level fields are well cultivated, 
where the "Rose of Sharon" still grows, as it 
does all over Palestine; in some places there are 

6 4 



JERUSALEM, PALESTINE 65 



whole fields covered thickly with these red 
flowers, which are something like a poppy, only 
that there are many flowers on one stem, and they 
grow nearer the ground. 

This Plain of Sharon is where the Crusaders 
fought; over yonder where Samson set fire to 
the Philistines' corn, we pass the valley of Aga- 
lon, where Joshua commanded the sun to stand 
still, and on the top of a mountain, the ancient 
Mizpah, where the children of Israel gathered 
from Dan to Beersheba, when Saul was appointed 
King. This whole country through which we 
were traveling seemed filled with these Bible sto- 
ries. 

All the little towns seem to be Arab villages ; 
their houses are usually built one against the 
other, made of stone or mud, with very green 
grass for the flat roofs. 

After leaving these rich plains we began a rapid 
ascent through limestone mountains, around 
whose cliffs and caves our dragoman wove many 
a tale. 

It is only 54 miles from Jaffa to Jerusalem, 
which is 3,000 feet from sea level, but four hours' 
time is required for this mountain climbing. Any 
soil found among tfie rocks is apparently treasured 



66 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



and terraced for the pasture of black goats which 
abound on the hills. 

Every passenger was on the alert to get the first 
glimpse of the "Sacred City," and all were disap- 
pointed when the train stopped and we had seen, 
and could now see, nothing but the surrounding 
hills. 

There was another break-neck drive down into* 
the valley of Hinnon, and up a long hill to the 
"Jaffa Gate," one of the principal entrances to the 
city. 

There our party was divided, being assigned 
to the different hotels. We fortunately passed the 
"Gate," and after a few minutes' drive, arrived at 
the Hotel Kammilitz, outside the walls of the city. 
Our rooms were in the court back of the main 
hotel, and opened from the living and reading 
room, where a good wood fire was kept constantly 
burning, and it certainly was a great comfort to 
us all, as the weather was cold and damp. There 
was much complaint about the cold in other hotels, 
as there were no fires. A splendid table, well 
served, and some of us will never see again so 
much Turkish delight, oranges and nut meats as 
was devoured at this table. 

We met here a bright young lady from Damas- 



JERUSALEM, PALESTINE 67 



cus, who had been in France to learn lace making, 
and she was in a school here trying to teach the 
children the art, hoping to give them an interest 
in something as well as to make them self-sup- 
porting, but she was much discouraged, as the 
people had lived so long in idleness it was very 
hard to induce them to apply themselves to any- 
thing. 

Here also was the wife of a German who had 
been converted to Zionism. He had acquired a 
competence in Baltimore, Md., had gone 
to Jerusalem, joined the Zionists, and had 
left his wife in Jerusalem, while he went back to 
America to settle up his affairs. It was not 
strange that the poor woman was heartbroken at 
the prospect of passing the rest of her days in this 
forsaken looking country, but like a good German 
frau, she was trying to make the best of the situa- 
tion. 



CHAPTER XIII 



JERICHO, BETHLEHEM AND BETHANY 




MAGINE about a dozen comfortable 
carriages, four people in each, and 
a driver on the box, with a dragoman 
for every three or four carriages, who 
changes from one to another carriage 
as we go along to call attention to in- 
teresting things on the route. 

Three " Sheiks/ 9 dressed as we could imagine 
from the stories of our childhood, with very dark 
complexion, white turban with red crown, put on 
over a white embroidered and tasseled shawl, the 
most gorgeous colored short coats and full 
trousers, and carrying pistols and knives of all 
descriptions. Everything about the horse trap- 
pings in the same gorgeous style, and these men, 
one on a white horse, one on a bay, and one on a 
black, ride back and forth, up side path and down 
ravine, to again reappear on some eminence, 

68 



JERICHO, BETHLEHEM, ETC 69 



where with skirts and tassels flying in the wind, 
they make a very striking picture, and they know 
it, too. They are our protectors, paid by the 
Government to protect travelers from robbers and 
thieves. 

As our start is made in the early morning, we 
meet all the caravans going to the city, and we 
think they look exactly as they did two thousand 
years ago when Our Saviour traveled over this 
very country. We meet hundreds of camels, usu- 
ally tied together in tandem by a small rope and 
led by a little bit of a donkey, who not unusually 
carried a good-sized man on his back. Sometimes 
the drivers are on the camels, but they seem to 
prefer the donkey. 

The camels are laden with every kind of a 
thing, from wine, fruit and fresh killed meat to 
stone and timber, and the way they come up out 
of the sand of the desert (they are exactly sand 
color) one thinks they have passed them all, but 
soon again one of those long necks and meek- 
looking eyes comes peering around a curve or up 
out of a crevasse. These crevices are often used 
as their resting places for the night. At one place 
there were two baby camels, one white and the 
other black, grazing with the mother. 



;o DREAMS 0F i YESTERDAYS 



The roads are very rough, and it is hilly, but 
we had expected it and had engaged our will to 
care for our nerves, but when we came in sight of 
Jericho, but still some distance from it, we all got 
out and walked down that terrible hill (and 
walked up it going home, too). 

There is so much Bible history connected with 
the land through which we passed that it is some- 
times difficult for those who are not Bible students 
to separate the Old Testament stories from the 
New, so when our dragoman says, "This is the 
place where Abraham and Lot divided the land," 
the hills for one and the rich valley for the other, 
and that is the cave where Elijah was fed by the 
ravens (a monastery is now built over the cave), 
and they point out to us Mount Nebo, where 
Moses was shown the promised land, but could 
not enter it (and we were standing on the prom- 
ised land), and very soon show us the Mountain 
of Temptation, and are on our way to the Jordan, 
stopping at "Elijah's Pool," where he made bitter 
water sweet, we are sometimes a little bewildered 
and want a little while to think it out. 

On the road to the Jordan was a small village 
of Arabs whose tents were of a dark brown color 
nearly an inch thick, and said to- be on an average 



JERICHO, BETHLEHEM, ETC 71 



of 100 years old, thus they are heirlooms of no 
mean order and much appreciated, said to be woven 
of camels' hair by the women. They were quite 
flat and low, and the women and children looked, 
although they were Mohammedans, as if they 
never washed, and we wondered how many of us 
would be willing to join them in "Dipping in the 
Dish," where all take the food with their fingers 
from the same dish. Soap is an unknown quan- 
tity, and if they are obliged to wash before each 
meal, they certainly do not take away more than 
the outer layer of dirt and grime. 

We are told they eat with much smacking of 
the lips, to show their relish of the repast, and ex- 
pect people whom they entertain to do< the same. 

We walked through asphaltum mud to the bank 
of the Jordan, and tourists were filling bottles and 
canteens sold here with the muddy water ; some 
were out in a boat, trying to sing "On Jordan's 
stormy banks I stand." We have read that for 
more than a hundred years there has not been a 
single scion of any reigning house in Europe who* 
has not been christened with water taken from 
this stream, where the founder of Christianity 
was baptized by John the Baptist, and that some 
Grand Duke, seeing money in the enterprise, 



72 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



makes a business of bottling this water, which is 
duly sealed and sold at $2 a bottle, and anybody 
can buy it by paying the price. 

The driving grew worse and worse as we 
neared the "Dead Sea," seemingly no attempt at 
road making has been done, just going through 
streams and around sand dunes, and we were re- 
lieved to once more be on our feet, viewing this 
beautiful looking sea, whose waters we are told 
cover the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and 
whose surface was roughened by a strong wind 
so that there was a fine surf, thus shattering our 
old idea that the water was dead. It is simply 
salt, like our own Salt Lake, in Utah, and no fish 
is supposed to live in it. The water is very 
buoyant, and a few of the tourists bathed in its 
clear and inviting surf, but the most of us were 
contented to bathe our hands and face. 

Returning to Jericho, we stopped for the night. 
Our sleeping room was on the ground floor, 
roughly paved with all kinds of stones, a small 
piece of carpet covering a part of it. Single iron 
bedsteads, and we cannot say what kind of lumpy, 
hard stuff for mattress and pillows. 

The dining-room and parlor were one room, 
the dining-room at one end and the parlor at the 



JERICHO, BETHLEHEM, ETC 73 



other, so that we could see the preparations for 
dinner, and the proprietor seemed exceedingly- 
anxious, and many times changed about the dishes 
on the table. 

We were getting used to goat flavor, and fared 
well ; we had goat's milk, goat butter and cheese, 
and everything seasoned with goat, and woe to 
those who were finicky about it, as there was no 
escape. 

At night the jackals in the mountains barked 
and the dogs on the plain howled back at them, 
and our camp of wagons, horses and men on the 
small grass plot in front of the inn made us feel 
as if we were camping in the wilderness. 

The people look very forlorn, and our hotel pn> 
prietor told us that they would all starve if it were 
not for the tourists ; that everything on the table 
was brought over, mostly from Jerusalem on the 
backs of camels or donkey, excepting, of course, 
what the goat gives them. 

We lunched on our journey to and from Jericho 
under a gorgeous Eastern tent, at a place called 
"The 'Apostle Pool/' It was the tent made by 
the "Cooks" at the time of the visit of the German 
Emperor to Palestine, a few years ago. The out- 
side was of white canvas, in oblong shape, and 



74 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



lined with what we would call patch work, in all 
the brilliant colors of an Eastern rug, and very 
much the same pattern. The ground under the 
tent was covered with large, handsome rugs, and 
there was a long table through the center and 
plenty of seats — everything as comfortable as pos- 
sible. 

On our drive to Bethlehem our dragoman 
pointed out the well where the "three wise men" 
first saw the reflection of the star in the water, 
before they saw it in the sky, also a stone where 
Elijah rested. We meet or pass many pilgrims, 
mostly Russians, who with their priests are 
trudging along in the dust (our old idea of a 
pilgrim), caravans and caravans of camels, 
women on their way to market with baskets of 
fresh vegetables on their heads, and men with 
pigskins filled with water on their backs, and we 
pass the tomb of Rachel, I suppose the very pillar 
which "Jacob set up." The country seems bar- 
ren and for miles is covered with what looks as if 
molten rocks had suddenly become cold. 

As we near Bethlehem the Arab drivers act 
wild, driving at break-neck speed, even in the 
town they shout to the men, women and children 
to clear the way, using their whips continually. 



JERICHO, BETHLEHEM, ETC 75 



We graze corners, pass through streets just wide 
enough for one carriage, up hill and down, and 
are very glad when we arrive at the Church of the 
Nativity, which looks more like a monastery than 
a church. We are taken through a small door to 
show our humility, into the dim interior. In the 
basilica we are shown where each of the three 
sects, Armenians, Greeks and Catholics, wor- 
ship, who must make their way, never infringing 
on the space allotted to the others ; each has his 
own especial chapel. Only last year there was a 
sharp fight between the Latin and Greek clergy, 
arising from the old-time jealousy regarding the 
protection of the grotto, resulting in some blood- 
shed, and these quarrels are of frequent occur- 
rence, and a Turkish armed soldier is sta- 
tioned here to see that one sect does not infringe 
on the rights of the others. 

Descending to the cave below, we see the place 
where tradition says "Our Saviour" was born. 
The whole place is now made of marble, and a 
silver mark on the marble shows where the 
"manger" was situated. The walls are covered 
with heavy gold embroidery, and numerous gold 
and silver lamps are suspended from the ceiling, 



76 DREAMS OR YESTERDAYS 



and a Turkish soldier watches over the whole 
night and day, 

The chief industry of Bethlehem is the carving 
of mother-of-pearl shells. Some of them are re- 
markable for their beauty and workmanship, and 
many are carried away by the tourists. Leaving 
Bethlehem, we drove to the square pools or reser- 
voirs, which nearly 3,000 years ago were built by 
King Solomon to supply water for the Temple. 
They are not now used, but are well preserved 
and full of water. 

At Bethany, which is a forlorn looking place, 
are a few cheap flat-roofed houses, built near the 
ruins of Old Bethany, and we were shown what 
tradition says was the house of Mary and Martha, 
and are guided through uneven, dirty lanes, over 
stones and other debris, to the Tomb of Lazarus, 
where slippery stone stairs led to a small crypt 
below. A group of women and children watched 
our progress, and some little tots were dressed for 
the occasion by having small brass ornaments 
woven into their hair and hanging over the fore- 
head. 

On the Mount of Olives is a small circular 
building, covering the spot from which the As- 
cension is said to have been made, the courtyard 



JERICHO, BETHLEHEM, ETC 77 

is surrounded by a high wall, and a fee is required 
to gain admittance, and it is said many pilgrims 
are turned away because they have not the re- 
quired price. In this building is displayed The 
Lord's Prayer in 36 different languages, so that 
pilgrims from all parts of the world may read 
in their own tongue. 

A minaret on the Mount is one of the first 
things seen in coming into the city from almost 
any direction, and the Dead Sea and the Jordan 
can be seen from its upper galleries. 

The Garden of Gethsemane is enclosed by a 
white stone wall, within is an open rail fence, and 
between this and the stone wall is a wide path, 
where 14 separate, small shrines, representing the 
14 stations of the Via Dolorosa, road to the cross, 
are placed, and pilgrims are often seen here at 
their devotions, and there are a few old olive 
trees and a few stunted flowers. 

It is believed by most Protestants that the real 
"Tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea," where Christ 
was laid, is about half a mile outside the city walls, 
in a garden which contains about an acre of 
ground, where an old stone house, occupied by 
the keeper, looks very ancient. There is a well- 
cultivated garden, and a woman sells flower seeds 



78 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



supposed to have been grown on the place. It is 
all in charge of Protestant English, and no Catho- 
lic is interested in it. 

In the King's Dale, the valley of the Kedron, 
we see the "Tomb of St. James" and Absolom's 
Tomb, and try to recall the poem read in child- 
hood, "King David's limbs were weary. He had 
fled from far Jerusalem," etc., with the sad re- 
frain: "Oh, Absolom, my son, my son!" 



CHAPTER XIV 



THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 

S the streets are so narrow, no car- 
riages can be driven inside the city 
walls, so we all alight at the Jaffa 
Gate and follow our dragoman on 
foot. In this vicinity all is bustle 
and excitement, and we pass the bar- 
racks of the Turkish Garrison and the New Grand 
Hotel, to the shops and bazars, and there is much 
to engage our attention. 

We go to the Armenian Church, whose decora- 
tions seem rather tawdry; then to the excavated 
house of Caiphas, the High Priest, whose marble 
floor is 20 or 30 feet below the present street level. 
A circle in this floor marks the place where Peter 
stood amidst the soldiers warming his hands by 
the fire, when the maid servant made the accusa- 
tion, and even the pillar where the cock crew is 
shown us, and near by where Jesus stood when 
Peter saw the look that sent him forth weeping. 

79 . ' 




8o DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



From the wall near here we could see the vil- 
lage of Siloam, with the pool where the blind man 
was sent to wash and received his sight, and be- 
yond was the lepers' quarters, rows of low, shed- 
like buildings, quite out of the city, and if the 
lepers would only stay there we should feel much 
safer, for we never hear the call "Unclean" as of 
old. 

We descended the stone steps to the level of 
the entrance to the "Holy Sepulchre," which is 
several feet below the adjoining streets. One can 
get no adequate impression of its immensity from 
the outside, as little can be seen of it but the en- 
trance and its two domes rising above the build- 
ings. 

This church, it is alleged, was built in 335 
a. d. by Queen Helena, upon finding the real 
cross of Christ under the site of the present foun- 
dation. 

In the center of this immense edifice, and under 
the large dome, is the beautiful marble pavilion, 
decorated with rich carvings, inscriptions and im- 
mense gold and silver lamps and candlesticks of 
rare workmanship, surmounted by Greek, Arme- 
nian and Latin crosses. This is the "Chapel of 
the Tomb" of our Saviour. The interior of this 



THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 81 



pavilion is divided into two parts, the front or 
vestibule part being much larger than the other. 
In this vestibule is a stone which is supposed to be 
the one with which the Tomb was closed, and is 
called the Angel's Stone, and devout worshippers 
kiss it before going through the very low en- 
trance to the Tomb room, which is only about six 
feet square, one-half of which is occupied by an 
altar covered with a marble slab. The remaining 
room is so small that very few are allowed to 
enter at one time. Over the slab there are three 
separate shrines, one for each sect worshipping 
here ; even here in this most holy place they kneel 
at separate altars. 

At one side of the large central room is the 
Greek chapel, decorated in the most gorgeous 
manner with precious stones and jewels. Gold 
and silver lamps are suspended from the ceiling, 
and it is by far the most resplendent of all the 
many chapels opening out from the main body 
of the church. 

The "Stone of Unction" is a stone slab six feet 
long, raised about one foot from the pavement, 
with a canopy overhead, and six bronze candle- 
sticks as high as our heads, with great candles in 
them, two of which belong to the Armenians, two 



82 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



to the Greeks and two the Latins. This is the 
stone on which the body of Jesus lay when being 
anointed for burial. Not far from this is a 
circle marking the place where Mary, the mother 
of Jesus, sat while the ceremony was in progress. 

The "Stone of Unction" is an object of much 
devotion, and many devout worshippers stoop to 
kiss its cold surface. 

In a side room we saw the tomb of Adam and 
Melchisedec, and we, like our "Illustrious Mark 
Twain/' could not "prove" it was not the real 
place where our old ancestor was laid. 

A few steps lead us to the "Chapel of St. 
Helena," the oldest part of the building, and in 
the cave below we see where the saint sat during 
the excavating and finding of the true cross. 

A stairway in another part of the building leads 
up to Calvary, a gold plate surrounds a hole in 
the floor, under which the monks say is the very 
place where the original cross of Christ stood. 
A figure over this place, of Christ and his mother, 
Mary, on one side, and on the other the figure of 
St. John, is of gold and silver, the crown covered 
with diamonds* rubies and other precious stones. 

In the great religious ceremonies of "Good Fri- 
day," these places are all visited, and must be ex- 



THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 83 



ceedingly interesting to the visitor. One sees 
among the audience devout men and women from 
every clime, attired in a great variety of costumes. 
Men with turbaned heads and long beards, wear- 
ing flowing robes of silk and satin, kneel beside 
Arabs of the desert in simple cotton shirts, who 
stretch out their limbs on the cold marble floor. 
Natives of Bethlehem in gowns of red and blue 
jostle against dark-eyed Italians and oval-faced 
Spaniards. 

The women of the city, draped in long, white 
sheets, and with closely veiled faces, listen with 
interest to the Arabic part of the service, while 
around them hundreds of modish Parisians repeat 
the Latin responses. The services are in the even- 
ing, giving an opportunity to make all the grada- 
tions of light and complete darkness. The chapels 
over and under the main church, as well as those 
surrounding it, give full opportunity to make the 
volume of music very effective, and with the 
marching of dignitaries in glittering robes, priests 
and monks, censor and torch bearers, followed by 
laymen and pilgrims, every member of the proces- 
sion bearing a lighted taper, and the sudden ex- 
tinguishing of lights, when in total darkness a 
sermon on the Crucifixion is preached with all its 



84 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



minute details, it is no wonder that people become 
hysterical. 

The address being over, the candles are re- 
lighted, and the procession again commences, and 
removing their footwear, go to Calvary barefoot. 

A life-sized figure is produced, and the monks 
go through all the harrowing scenes of the real 
Crucifixion, and Joseph of Arimathsea and Nico- 
demus appear, taking the body down from the 
cross, carry it to the "Stone of Unction," where, 
with sweet smelling spices, they prepare it for 
burial. Then pilgrims come in file and kiss the 
image tenderly and adoringly; with prayer and 
groans, crossing themselves meantime. At last 
the pall-bearers carry the image into the "Chapel 
of the Tomb," the silence of desolation follows, 
the door of the Holy Sepulchre is locked until 
Easter morning, and "even the unimpressionable 
heart of the amusement-seeking tourist is moved 
at this sight, which means so much to these thou- 
sands of pilgrims from all parts of the world." 

We want the reader to remain a little longer in 
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre while we try 
to relate in a, few words the scenes on Easter 
morning at the Greek ceremony of the "Descent 
of the Holy Fire." This has been very thrillingly 



THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 85 



and exhaustively written up in the New York 
Tribune, and we will only give the synopsis, or 
short story of it. 

Those of us who have seen the "Chapel of the 
Tomb" will remember the oblong circle on the 
side of the vestibule. This is where the fire ap- 
pears to the waiting multitude, and it was quite 
blackened by the smoke at the time of our visit. 

The immense building was filled with pilgrims 
from all countries, people of every race and 
tongue, and all were in a state of almost wild ex- 
citement, moving about the beautiful "Tomb 
Chapel," half dancing and half running in broken 
procession, the enthusiasts with their fanatical, 
fierce countenances gleaming, and shouting in 
Arabic, and beseeching the fire to descend from 
heaven. 

The strange devotees are waiting for the ar- 
rival of the "Bishop of Fire," and the per- 
formance of the great yearly miracle, the descent 
of the Holy Fire within the tomb of Christ. 

As the excitement increases, the people jostle 
and push each other more and more, and the 
Turkish soldiers have a hard task to keep any kind 
of order, having nothing but scorn and contempt 
for what they consider a gross deception, and feel- 



86 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



ing no respect for Christians who hate every sect 
but their own, and are every ready to fight one 
another, and even to draw swords within this most 
sacred of edifices. 

They sometimes use the butts of their guns to 
keep the open line three feet wide, through which 
the devotees can run unhindered. For this pur- 
pose they stood in close lines, with guns in hand, 
as long as this strange performance lasted. 

Each group of pilgrims vied with others in the 
number of circuits it could accomplish around the 
tomb. They ran sometimes four and five abreast, 
and at others in single file, sometimes overthrow- 
ing each other in their haste, stepping carelessly 
over the fallen ones, and dragging others along 
with them. Wildly they leaped on to each other's 
backs, and were in turn borne on the broad shoul- 
ders of others. Gradually the pavement became 
strewn with caps and fezes, pieces of flowing 
robes and shreds of garments. 

Loud rose the joyful shouts of pilgrims from 
all sides of the large church, all faces and voices 
are directed toward the cupola of the tomb, which 
rose in grotesque magnificence above the sea of 
restless heads. Every gallery, balcony and niche 
was filled to overflowing with spectators, and the 



THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 87 



lights from the hundreds of gold and silver lamps 
illuminated the whole scene. 

This preliminary performance continued for 
several hours. The cries of the multitude grow- 
ing louder and more earnest: "Christ, the Son 
of God, his died for us! This is the tomb of 
Jesus Christ ! God save the Sultan !" 

As the morning wore on, the people pressed for 
a post near the tomb, and near the openings from 
which the fire, when descended, was to issue forth 
for the benefit of the worshippers, who- light their 
tapers at the flame, and pass it on to those who 
may not be able to secure it directly from the 
tomb. 

The privilege of thus securing the light first 
hand from the issuing fire is so greatly desired 
that it is sold at a high price. 

Suddenly the much envied person who has paid 
the highest price for this boon arrived, clad in a 
yellow silk robe, and took his place at the opening. 
Three Armenians in blue gowns followed suit, 
having bought the same privilege. 

At length the clapping, shouting and singing 
ceased, and a great calm pervaded the house, and 
kavasses entered with gilded staves, with which 



88 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



they pounded the pavement pompously and waved 
them at curious intruders. 

The Pacha, or Governor of Jerusalem, entered 
and ascended the stairs to the gallery reserved for 
him and his retinue. After him came a long pro- 
cession led by the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, 
attired in white satin, bedecked with golden orna- 
ments and jewels, and followed by archbishops 
and bishops in vestments of white and gold, and 
wearing gilded mitres. 

Then came numerous priests in flowing black 
gowns, with their long brown hair twisted in 
braids under their tall hats. As they entered, car- 
rying torches and splendid silken banners, they 
chanted solemnly a beautiful litany. 

The processionists made the circuit of the Tomb 
three times, and at length the long-looked-for 
personage arrived, the "Bishop of Fire." To him 
alone was granted to enter the closed tomb and to 
witness the very descent of the fire as it is sup- 
posed to come from heaven into the tomb. At 
last the Cadi, or judge or magistrate, gave a sig- 
nal, and the "Bishop of Fire/' taking off his outer 
garments, cut the string by which the door was 
fastened, and entered, shutting it after him. 

The next moment the whole edifice resounded 



THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 89 



with the joyful acclamation which burst forth in 
response to the bishop's announcement that the 
fire was kindled. Those nearest the tomb lighted 
their tapers from the fire which streamed out, and 
others received the precious fire from thern. 

Thus from taper to taper from the basilica to 
galleries, balconies and cupola, as by a magic 
wand, spread the illumination, and above the great 
mass of tiny flickering lights in the basilica shone 
a dome of sparkling brilliancy. 

Now entered the element of the ever ready 
spirit of antagonism and jealousy existing be- 
tween the different sects of the Oriental Church. 
Those who were exultant in the proud possession 
of the precious light looked with disdain on those 
who were not so fortunate, while the latter, en- 
vious of the bearers of lighted torches, did their 
best to extinguish them. 

The Armenian youths who had lighted their 
tapers direct from the light as it streamed out of 
the opening were ready at once to start on their 
errand of meritorious work, to carry this light to 
their own churches in and around Jerusalem. 
Other fortunate bearers of the light went to con- 
vent chapels in the vicinity, sometimes running 
nearly nude and barefooted with their lighted 



90 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 

torches. Throughout the Holy City cheerful bells 
peal forth to proclaim the news of the advent of 
the miracle. 

The "Bishop of Fire" now emerges from the 
tomb, and goes at once to the Greek Chapel, the 
pilgrims extinguish their lights with their hand- 
kerchiefs, which they would henceforth treasure 
for life, and many linger to> besmear with the 
melted wax pieces of linen which were destined 
for their funeral shrouds, which would preserve 
their souls from the flames of hell. Many Greek 
pilgrims flock to the Jordan, and after bathing in 
its sacred waters, feel assured of having won 
eternal salvation. 



CHAPTER XV 

JERUSALEM SOLOMON'S TEMPLE 

, HE Mosque of Omar, whose exterior 
is covered with green tile and its 
dome with copper, is said to be stand- 
ing on the site of Solomon's Temple. 
The Mosque and the surrounding 
courtyard are considered holy grounds 
by the Mohammedans, smoking is not allowed, 
and we are watched by the Turkish Guards, who 
allow no noisy talking or other misdemeanor. 

We pay the admission fee, don over-shoes, and 
enter this Mosque, whose ceiling is covered with 
beautiful mosaics and the floors with Persian 
rugs. Instead of a chapel in the center, we find a 
great rock, twenty or thirty feet in diameter, sur- 
rounded by a high iron fence. This rock is said to 
be the altar of sacrifice, where priests of old laid 
their offerings, a cave beneath receiving the blood 
from the sacrifice. A hole in the rock we are told 

91 



92 DREAMS OR YESTERDAYS 

is the footprint of Mohammed. Jews are not per- 
mitted to enter the Mosque or holy grounds. 

There is enough remaining of Solomon's Tem- 
ple, with the pavement, to- give one an idea of its 
immensity. One of its beautiful old fountains has 
recently been put in order, and water brought 
from the "old reservoirs." The people have free 
access to it, and we feel there is no excuse for the 
filthy condition one finds everywhere. 

A part of the old stables have been excavated, 
which in their grand proportions seem to have 
extended under the whole temple. They are now 
sometimes occupied by pilgrims who lie down on 
their blankets in the dirt and think themselves 
well housed. 

The main street of the city is David Street, and 
one would like to wear the bloomer costume while 
passing through it, as one meets donkeys and 
camels laden with all sorts of stuff, goats in 
abundance and people of all color. The whole 
street is a succession of steps, and is so narrow 
that the shop awnings nearly meet overhead. 
While picking my way as best I could I ran with- 
out notice into a camel who was lying on one of 
the steps, but they seem like very innocent ani- 



SOLOMON'S TEMPLE 93 



mals, and this one did not resent in the least my 
sudden acquaintance. 

Our walks through the Mohammedan and Jew- 
ish quarters of the city were interesting, although 
trying to the senses. The dirty beggars, who 
never stop their cry for backsheesh, lepers hideous 
in their suffering, press too near us, and the ever 
present screams and jargon of the natives, the 
long-legged camel, and the donkey bearing all 
kinds of odorous burdens from the hides of fresh- 
killed animals to Limburger cheese, with no side- 
walks, uneven pavements and steps up and steps 
down, picking our way with care, we are not ill- 
pleased when our dragonman takes us on the top 
of a small square house to look at the old stone 
walls of a neighboring building, veritable stones 
of the ancient wall of the city. 

Passing through the Via Doloroda (The road 
to the Cross), which is one of the widest streets 
in Jerusalem, we see the 14 stations marking the 
way to the Cross, and stop at a convent where 
they tell us that the real road was 20 feet below 
the present street level, and 100 feet away from 
the modern street, so we try to remember that 
nearly the whole of the old city is buried under the 
ruins and rubbish of ages, and that the present 



94 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



streets may not be directly over those of twenty 
centuries ago. 

No words can give an adequate idea of the an- 
noyance from beg'gars, who are so persistent and 
follow one everywhere, and if one gives a coin 
to one of them, others will follow in swarms, and 
never hear the word no. 

On Friday, the day the Jews assemble at the 
"Wailing Place/' outside the old temple walls, we 
saw about one hundred Hebrew men, women and 
children (very small proportion of men, however, 
it was said they came in the evening, after busi- 
ness hours), their faces were turned to the wall, 
some reading the Talmud, some pressing their 
faces against it in prayer, and others actually 
weeping and kissing the wall, and a few younger 
ones are rather indifferent. 

They pray for the return of Jewish dominion, 
and mourn over the downfall of Zion, and the 
sound of their wailing we could hear for blocks 
away. 

This land is full of tradition, and tradition 
says that Mary washed the swaddling clothes of 
Jesus in a certain spring, and the "Hill of evil 
counsel" is the spot where Judas betrayed the 
Master ; and the place is shown where Mary Mag- 



SOLOMON'S TEMPLE 95 



dalene met Jesus after the resurrection, and the 
footprint of Jesus on the Mount of Olives, and 
numerous other improbable things. 

It had been raining on the morning we left 
Jerusalem, and we had word that the sea was 
rough, and there were all sorts of conjectures 
about our being able to reach our ship, but we 
started on the hour appointed, passed once more 
the Jaffa Gate, took our last look at David's tower 
of heavy masonry, and w r ere soon on our way to 
Jaffa, the journey taking only three hours. Find- 
ing the sea very rough and the boats along the 
shore tossing and tumbling about in the heavy 
surf, we thought the relief was general when it 
was reported that we could not embark. 

We are told that there is an officer on shore 
who takes the responsibility of sending the small 
boats out, and soon the order came, embark ! and 
go we must, amid the howl of the breakers and 
the shouts of the boatmen, who rowed us safely, 
while they chanted and screamed, and just out- 
side the terrible reef stopped and demanded back- 
sheesh, and would not go on until all had con- 
tributed to the "fez/ 1 which was hurriedly but 
rather grudgingly done, and when we arose on 
the crest of a wave at the foot of the ladder, two 



96 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



boatmen lifted us as if we were children, and an 
immense Arab and a sailor pulled us up one at a 
time to the small platform at the foot of the lad- 
der. 

We changed our mind about former reports of 
Jaffa roadstead, but were glad of one more experi- 
ence to record in our memory, and that the most 
dreaded part of our journey was over. 

We regretfully left Palestine behind us, with its 
traditions and antiquities, and we now read that 
railroads will soon take the place of caravan, that 
the Jaffa and Jerusalem Railroad will include 
branch lines to Gaza, Jericho and the Dead Sea, 
with a still longer extension up the Jordan valley 
to Damascus ; that the Turks are building as rap^ 
idly as possible a railroad from the Jordan east- 
ward to Damascus, connecting with the Damas- 
cus-Mecca line, and that will be the preferred 
route for pilgrims going to and from Mecca, and 
will render a thing of the past those picturesque 
caravans that have hitherto been the devout Mos- 
lem's sole means of getting to the Holy City. 

Many other lines of railroad are being con- 
structed, and the country in general is growing 
prosperous; exports and imports are rapidly in- 
creasing. 



SOLOMON'S TEMPLE 97 

It is said that Abraham invented the system of 
agriculture, stock raising, food making, garment 
making, and the custom and mode of wearing 
clothes that have prevailed down through the cen- 
turies to modern times, but these things will 
change now that the modern American machines 
and locomotives have stirred the country from 
center to circumference, and the Sultan Abdul 
Hamid sees the benefit accruing from these inno- 
vations and puts no obstacles in the way of devel- 
opment. 

So we are pleased to have seen the caravans of 
camels and the ancient and picturesque dress of 
their Arab conductors, and to add this one more 
dream of yesterday to our many stored treasures. 



CHAPTER XVI 



ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT 

NSIDE the breakwater of the harbor 
^ at Alexandria we next cast anchor, 
amidst the usual Eastern tumult, and 
soon recognize the sweaters with the 
one word "Cook" across the breast, 
and know it means perfect safety for 
us; we cannot imagine what a landing without 
this mark would mean. 

The handsome white yacht of the Crown Prince 
of Germany lay at anchor quite near us, and many 
other vessels from all parts of the world. Our 
dark-skinned boatmen in white bloomers, red 
sweaters, red fez and bare feet, soon took us 
ashore. The cars were in waiting near by, and 
our luggage passed the custom house without ex- 
amination, and peddlers and beggars were driven 
away by black soldiers, and we were soon moving 
out of the city and passing through the Delta 

98 




4 



'ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT 99 



of the Nile, which is in a high state of cultivation. 
The land is flat, and the groups of palms rising 
against the clear Egyptian sky are in strong con- 
trast to the hills we have just visited. We still 
have the camel and donkey, but we also have the 
dark grey water buffalo, whose crooked horns 
twist so curiously over the forehead. It is often 
seen at work in the fields, or taking a bath in some 
canal or ditch; sometimes nothing of it can be 
seen but its head rising above the water. The 
animals are always tied to something while graz- 
ing, as there are no fences and all the land is im- 
proved by irrigation and cultivation. Many vil- 
lages of flat mud huts are seen, with cane stalk 
roofs to protect the people from the sun through 
the long months when no rain falls. Water must 
be stored in some way for general use, and the 
canals and ditches seem well filled, and during 
the ride of four and one-half hours we seemed 
never to lose sight of canal or river, and at one 
marshy place the mosquitoes swarmed into the 
windows, compelling us to close them. 



CHAPTER XVII 



CAIRO, EGYPT 




N arriving in Cairo we were at once 
driven to The Grand Continental Ho- 
tel. Some of the tourists went to 
Shephreds', and a few to The Gizeh- 
reh Palace Hotel, which is out some 
distance from the life of the city, and 
after many complaints of the distance to be trav- 
elled for sight-seeing, they were given rooms more 
centrally located. The Continental is situated op- 
posite a park called Esbekieh Gardens, where a 
military band played. A fine little lake where 
white and black swan and other aquatic birds 
made their home, and many well-kept walks with 
flowers and shrubbery, made a capital lounging 
place away from the city's din. 

The first person appearing on entering the ho- 
tel was the "Portier," who here, as well as in all 
European countries, is an important personage, 



IOO 



CAIRO, EGYPT 



101 



and they are generally arrayed in gorgeous uni- 
form with gold trimming. Here he has several 
assistants and is expected to be able to answer 
questions to your full satisfaction in the French, 
German and English languages, and we go to 
him for everything, and he expects to be well paid 
(tipped) for it. In the dining room the head 
waiter was an Englishman in dress suit, but 
Arabs, black and brown, in long gowns and red 
fezes, served the courses. The table was excel- 
lent, and we had game twice daily. In the lobby 
and office were six Arab boys in pretty costumes 
of dark crimson, bloomer trousers, jacket and 
fez, richly trimmed with gold braid, and they 
added greatly to the show and glitter of this great 
hostelry. Their duty consisted in opening and 
closing the entrance door, run errands, etc. There 
was a French maid on every floor, but the work 
was all done by Arabs. The men who cared for 
our room wore white cotton gowns cut something 
like a princess, only not so close to the figure ; one 
wore a fez and the other a turban, and the maid 
was always in attendance and the work well done, 
even when coming in with confetti dropping from 
our clothing over everything, as we did from the 
grand illumination of the grounds at Shepherds, 



102 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



where a "battle of confetti" occurred ; our rooms 
were soon in perfect order. The illumination was 
a beautiful sight, many Chinese lanterns and elec- 
tric lights were put high up in the trees and about 
the grounds, and two bands played alternately. 
There were fireworks, and ladies in pretty cos- 
tumes and gentlemen in full dress, and confetti 
everywhere. Large packages — two or three 
quarts — were sold at the entrance of the grounds, 
and everybody joined in the battle, which made 
even the sedate professor forget his dignity when 
some pretty girl tucked a handful of confetti into 
his collar and bosom. The ground in some places 
was covered to the depth of eight or ten inches. 

The ball given at the Continental showed us how 
gorgeous is the Eastern coloring. It was in prep- 
aration for nearly a week, and the whole immense 
right wing of our porch, we should think about 
300 by 60 feet, was covered with the same Eastern 
tent canvas we described in our trip to Jericho. 
The heavy timbers holding the tent were all 
wound with red, and the floor covered with a red 
plush carpet. There were eleven glass prismed 
chandeliers, many potted plants and palms, and 
this was only an addition to the rest of the house, 
and with- fine music and pretty costumes it was a 



CAIRO, EGYPT 103 



rare treat to the eye, even if one did not dance. 
One can be highly entertained just by sitting on 
the piazza of the hotel and looking at the passing 
show, and it was interesting to watch new- 
comers, who seemed to think that many things for 
sale on the sidewalks would soon be gone, and 
their first shillings went easily, but everything is 
bargained for and no two pay the same price. 

The hotel piazzas are all raised about three feet 
from the sidewalk, and an iron fence on the top, 
so that the peddlers are kept at arm's length, and 
they are not allowed to come up the steps unless 
called by a purchaser. But if they do get inside 
the fence they make the most of the opportunity 
and usually stay until sent away. The most at- 
tractive things on sale are the beads, and the ven- 
ders have strings of them over arms, breast, shoul- 
ders and head, and the prismatic colors in the 
sunshine make them look much better than they 
really are. Many Arabs are selling scarabi, all 
real, of course, and others sell ostrich tips, un- 
dressed and in the natural colors, and, indeed, 
anything found in the bazars which it is thought 
will attract the people is brought here. Among 
the rest are the snake charmers and centipedes, 
and the exhibition is always in progress. There 



104 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



are crowds of Mohammedan women with yash- 
mak or veil, and what looks like a gilt spool tied 
over the nose, the veil covering all the face ex- 
cepting the eyes, often carrying an almost nude 
child astride one shoulder, with the face toward 
the woman, and we have often seen them asleep 
with their little brown head leaning on the 
mother's. The lemonade dealer is here with his 
brass-trimmed jug and rattling cups, the water 
carrier with a jug on his shoulder, filling the glass 
without touching the spout, there are sweet cakes 
on trays and nut meats, and peasants called Fell- 
heen, usually having long blue shirts down to the 
ankles, brown skullcap and bare feet, street bar- 
bers who shave while you wait, and an occasional 
recumbent figure near the curb taking a nap. 
Then there are scores of dragomen standing in 
groups,, hoping someone will feel the need of their 
guidance, ready at a moment's notice to accom- 
pany one or more on any long or short journey, 
and the managers of the hotels always advise 
taking them if we go any distance. In the streets 
are all sorts of vehicles, from the handsomest 
brougham to a two-wheeled cart. The carriages 
of the Khedive and the princesses of the royal 
harem, consuls general and the heads of the 



Beads from Egypt 

(See page 103) 




2 3 

1 — Jewel case from Algiers Chap. V. 

2 — Jewel case from Beirout Chap. XI. 

3 — Vase set with jewels. 

4 - Antique lamp from the Acropolis— See page 



CAIRO, EGYPT 105 

Egyptian army only are allowed to have two run- 
ners, or sais, some few others have one, who keep 
in front of the carriage and warn common people 
out of the way. They are rapid runners, as they 
must be to keep out of the way of the handsome 
horses who follow them. They hold long wands 
in their hands, which they keep at their sides like 
a musket, and with their shoulders thrown back, 
bending a little forward with mouth closed, in 
their artistic dress, consisting of red and white 
turban, embroidered jacket, gay colored sashes 
and tassels, flying in the wind, and white bloomers, 
they make one of the greatest attractions in the 
streets of Cairo. We stopped once when out 
driving for one of these carriages to go around a 
corner in front of us, and it contained a lovely 
woman dressed in white, even the yashmak was 
white, and so thin that the features were dis- 
tinctly visible. When there is no one inside the 
carriage the sais get up behind and ride standing ; 
they always have colored skin and splendid 
physique. The Khedive is often seen with his 
retinue of 25 handsomely equipped cavalrymen 
riding through the streets, and acknowledges with 
much graciousness the cheers of the crowds. The 
handsomest horses found anywhere are here, 



io6 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



while the camel, raised on his long legs far above 
the rest of the crowd, carrying a whole green 
haystack or other burden on his back, are con- 
spicuous, and the donkeys with riding tourists, or 
owner, or hitched to a cart with a few boards or 
canestalks laid across, and women and children 
squatting on them, are common. Mohammedan 
funerals, from three to five a day, with the box 
carried usually on the shoulders of men, the cof- 
fin is always covered with red, or red and yellow 
draperies, men and boys chant from the Koran, 
and many curious country vehicles sometimes fol- 
low. We saw one small box carried on the back 
of a donkey. Once on seeing an unusual commo- 
tion, we found a large procession preceded by 
four camels with very large boxes of dates on 
either side of their backs, the drivers sitting be- 
tween the boxes and where they could reach the 
fruit, giving a few at intervals to the clamoring 
crowd; four bullocks followed, then a few car- 
riages, and then a multitude of the poor of Cairo. 
They were going to a kind of Potter's Field out 
near the "Tombs of Caliphs/' where the bullocks 
would be slain, and with the fruit given to the 
poor. This was a kind of peace offering from a 
wealthy woman who had just died. All this, and 



CAIRO, EGYPT 107 



the scene continually changing, we see while sit- 
ting on the beautiful marble portico filled with 
ladies and gentlemen in summer costumes from 
all parts of the world, moving about or going out 
for a drive, many fine turnouts in waiting, and 
brown waiters at every turn. It makes a picture 
which remains with us and adds another dream 
to the many we often recall. 

All tourists visit the Muski, the principal shop- 
ping street of the city, and the bazars, which are 
mostly in the crowded districts. The carriages, 
in driving through them, leave no room for any- 
thing else ; sometimes we go on foot, and are not 
annoyed if we find ourselves without a guide, 
for they are sometimes very much in the way. 
The best part of the bazars are streets roofed 
over, sometimes paved, but often of hard clay. 
They are quite clean, and in its shops can be found 
all kinds of merchandise ; sometimes there is noth- 
ing but a cupboard filled with beads, a few hang- 
ing outside, sometimes a place only just large 
enough for a man to sit sewing or making patch- 
work; some are making slippers, the red ones 
predominating, and interspersed are really fine 
jewelry, dry goods and silks. Many of the dealers 



io8 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



are smoking the narraghilek, or pipe, and seem to 
take life very easy. 

Everybody goes to see the Nilometer, which is 
a stone column in a building on the island of 
Rhoda, where the child Moses was found in the 
rushes. In reaching this island one is pushed and 
pulled over a small stream in an old scow. While 
we were crossing the water carriers were filling 
their pigskins in the stream, which are frequently 
seen on the streets full to- bursting, and are prin- 
cipally patronized by the natives. The Nilometer 
stands in the water in an enclosure or large well, 
which is connected with the river, and as the river 
rises or falls a record of its height is officially 
kept, the column is marked in metres, and it is 
watched with anxiety, for when the water is low 
the cultivated districts suffer, but in August, when 
the great Nile overflows its banks, filling the 
dams, canals and ditches, the event is celebrated 
with great joy, the festival led by the Khedive, for 
he knows the crops will be good, and taxes which 
are levied on all crops will be diminished. We 
read of despair as well as the happiness brought 
by the "Old River God" in George Ebers' "Bride 
of the Nile/' before the great dams and canals 
were installed, when the Bride was offered as a 



CAIRO, EGYPT 



109 



conciliation to the Gods, and to those of us who 
are not averse to having a little romance mixed 
up with our history, it is an aid to memory as well 
as pleasure to recall such well written tales. 

The oldest and probably the largest university 
in the world is in Cairo. It is known to have ex- 
isted since 975 a. d. Constantinople is the offi- 
cial head of the Mahommedan religion, but the 
summit of Mosleman learning may be secured 
only at El Azhar, and more than 10,000 students 
are gathered here from every land owning Ma- 
homet as its religious guide. There are over 225 
masters, and their title is "Sheikh," one being se- 
lected from the faculty because of his superior 
knowledge and great holiness, being styled "Sheik 
At Azhar," and in the eyes of the faithful he 
ranks only a little lower than the Khedive him- 
self. Surprising as it may seem, some of the 
teachers are unable to read, but as they know 
the Koran by heart they are supposed to be able 
to teach juvenile pupils, for there are students of 
all ages, and one or two thousand of them actu- 
ally live within the walls. The Koran is the text 
book, and if any professor has "sore eyes," he 
refers the student to the book and asks for the 
reading of the reference. They are much opposed 



no DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



to modern innovations, and sometime in the 70' s 
a professor undertook to read and teach some- 
thing beside theology, and brought a globe into 
the mosque to explain the form of the earth, but 
the other professors rose in arms, forbade him to 
enter the mosque, and finally procured his exile, 
under the pretext that he entertained revolution- 
ary ideas. There is a vast open court surrounded 
by alcoves and supported by 200 marble pillars, 
and each sheikh gathers his students around his 
own particular pillar for instructions. The view 
of the open court with its hundreds of students 
squatting about, or sound asleep, or cooking his 
frugal meal, is peculiar and should be visited by 
more travellers who are interested in student life. 

The mosque of Mahemet Ali is one of the 
beautiful sights of Cairo. The whole building, 
with its fountains and enclosing walls, are of pure 
alabaster ; gradations of color from soft yellow to 
brown, and the fine polish on the protected parts 
is strikingly beautiful. What a magnificent sight 
it must be when all of the thousands of small 
globes are lighted, bringing out the coloring in the 
beautiful mosaic ceiling and countless rugs ; some 
of the slabs covering the walls are of immense 



CAIRO, EGYPT in 



proportions, and the black Mecca stone is con- 
spicuous among them. 

From the Citadel or Fortress one has a fine 
view of the city, with its numerous mosques and 
minarets, and the Tombs of the Caliphs, and many 
stories are told by the talkative dragoman, one 
of which was that a former Sultan once arranged 
on the citadel a meeting with a large number of 
the Mamelukes, and had them all massacred but 
one, who saved himself by jumping his horse over 
the parapet, 50 feet high, and thus escaped. The 
print of the hoof of the horse is shown on the 
wall as positive proof of the authenticity of the 
story. 

The Crypt of the old Coptic Church is far un- 
der ground, and tradition locates this as the site 
of the place where Joseph, Mary and the child 
Jesus stayed during the time they remained in 
Egypt. The church is very old and only interest- 
ing for its Crypt. 

We visited the mosque of the Sultan Ahmud, 
which was built of the sandstone taken from the 
Pyramids. It is very old and part of it is in 
ruins, and it is said that the Sultan was so much 
pleased with the design that he cut off the hand 



ii2 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



of the architect so that he could not design another 
like it. 

The Pyramids of Ghizeh are ten miles from 
Cairo, and a smooth macadam road, good horses 
and carriage, and the many unusual things to be 
seen on the route make a most enjoyable drive. 
The road is raised about ten feet above the ad- 
joining land to protect it in times of inundation, 
and is well shaded by large trees nearly the whole 
distance. On both sides of the road are vegetable 
gardens, where all produce grows luxuriantly. 
Camels and donkeys are always a source of great 
interest to us, and we see them here, alone, and 
in numbers, carrying all sorts of burdens. The 
camels, loaded with green hay, looked curious, as 
we could see nothing of him but his long legs and 
the tip of his nose. A man riding an ox, Arabs 
riding camels or donkeys, men and women selling 
sugarcane, which the white-gowned native chews 
as he walks ; women with jugs on their shoulders, 
children collecting refuse from the animals for 
fire-wood, and soldiers in uniform, make a pic- 
ture indelible on the memory, and as we near the 
Pyramids and leave the cultivated land for the 
desert, we realize what old "Father Nile" is to 
his children. The sand surrounds and partly 



2 




1 — Eastern head ornament or necklace. 2 — Castenets, from Spain — 
Chap. IV. 3— Scarabi, from Cairo, Egypt— Chap. XVIIL 4— Bedouin 
charm — Chap. XVIII. 5 — Spoon, from Constantinople — Chap. IX. 
6 — Antique candle snuffers, from the Alhambra — Chap. IV. 7 — Egyptian 
bracelet— Chap. XVII. 8 -The seal— Chap. IX. 9— Knife, from 
Spain — Chap. IV. 10— Egyptian enamel and scarab — Chap= XIX. 
11 — Bags, from Joffa, Palestine — Chap. XII. 



CAIRO, EGYPT 



"3 



covers the Pyramids and the Sphinx, for the 
winds of the desert have for centuries blown over 
this plain, and the shifting sand never finds a 
home, and it does not seem possible that only 
water is needed to make it as fertile as the coun- 
try through which we have just passed. 

The Pyramids have been so often described that 
we will only say that the largest is 450 feet in 
height, and measures 750 feet on each side, so 
that a walk around its base would be over a mile 
and a half. There are only a few of the slabs 
which first covered it still in position, all the rest 
have been used in the building of other edifices. 

The Sphinx is only a few yards away, and its 
old time-worn head was erected so many centu- 
ries before the Pyramids that its age is unknown. 
Not far away we enter an old temple which has 
recently been excavated, and we wonder how the 
immense pieces of granite of which it is composed 
could possibly have been brought here for building 
purposes. The same old camels and the same old 
turbaned Arab drivers which have been waiting 
here since tourists began to visit the place are 
urging us to ride, and the old camel rebels at the 
effort of getting up and down for the convenience 
of the riders. Boys and men are selling trophies 



H4 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



found in the tombs, and we were much interested 
in a couple of men who were excavating, while a 
dozen or so children carried away the sand in 
small basins after it had been thoroughly looked 
over. The museum here has a fine collection of 
antique curiosities, and there is a good hotel, 
which is well patronized. On the drive back, 
toward night, on the flat roof of one of the small 
houses a Mussulman was at prayer, his face turned 
toward Mecca, and he seemed entirely absorbed 
and perfectly indifferent to the curiosity of pass- 
ing strangers. Some of the little houses are not 
more than 10 or 12 feet square, and the people 
live mostly in the open air. 



CHAPTER XVIII 




ON THE NILE 

HERE are plenty of dahabehehs on 
the river, as in Mrs. Edwards' 
time, but no tourist patronizes them. 
Some go by steamboat and come back 
by train, and others reverse the order 
of things, and go by train, with sleep- 
ing car attached, and come back the slower way. 
Personally, we would like the boat for the whole 
journey. The boats are very comfortable, the 
staterooms small, but clean, and the food, which 
is well served, is equal to a first-class hotel. Be- 
sides the regular meals, tea and cakes are served 
at 4 p. m. on the open deck ; coffee after dinner 
is also served here. These decks are peculiarly 
arranged, having rooms on the ends and a middle 
section which is open on the sides, but roofed 
over, making a delightful place for the river sight- 
seeing, and we shall never forget how comfortable 
it seemed after some long excursion on shore. 

"5 



n6 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



Rain is almost unknown in Egypt, and the rise 
in the river so eagerly looked for is caused by 
rains that fall in the upper Nile region in the 
mountains, over 1,000 miles from Cairo. The 
great dam at Assuan, of which we have read so 
much, with other smaller ones, whose water is 
carried into the many canals and ditches, irri- 
gating the whole valley of the Nile, make it one 
of the most fertile valleys in the world. Without 
this irrigation it would be like the adjoining 
desert. The yearly overflow of the Nile might 
give one crop, but irrigation and the warm sun 
gives three or four. Although there may be water 
in plenty, it must be distributed, and the peasants 
or fellheen must pump or draw it up from the 
river or large ditches, and among the most inter- 
esting sights on the river are the many wheels 
called Sak-kia, revolving in the water and bring- 
ing up earthen jars attached to its rim, and empty- 
ing into the ditches. These wheels are turned by 
large cogwheels set flat near the ground, and the 
motive power is sometimes an ox, often blinded 
by having mud plastered over his eyes, and some- 
times a camel, and many times the two* are hitched 
together. When there are no animals to help in 
this laborious work, a wind of wellsweep called a 



ON THE NILE 



«7 



shadoof is used, and the man who does the work 
is called the shadoof man. 

Is there a child living, or one who has ever 
been a child, who cannot remember with a kind of 
awe, the stories of Old Thebes, with its mum- 
mies and colossal ruins, its tombs and its tem- 
ples ? The little town of Luxar now standing on 
the banks of the Nile is on the plain, where the 
surrounding country is covered with the ruins of 
the once great capitol of Upper Egypt, with its 
magnificent temples, great wealth, its powerful 
army, and chariots of war, but for ages has the 
sands of the desert accumulated over its ruins, 
and few in comparison have been unearthed. 
Every visitor must have a permit to visit the old 
temples and tombs, for which they pay five dol- 
lars. One can choose between donkey, jinrickshas 
(the small Japanese hand carriage) and chairs 
carried by poles on the shoulders of men as a 
means of conveyance over these desert plains, and 
although many of us prefer the donkey, there are 
a great many drawbacks to this kind of travel. 
Each donkey has its donkey-boy, and I was fortu- 
nate in having one who had been in America and 
had learned something of our language, so when 
my saddle slipped, or I was otherwise uncomfort- 



n8 DREAMS Oft YESTERDAYS 



able, he was at my side to relieve if possible, and 
this is one of the queer things in this mode of 
traveling, your donkey-boy is always at your side, 
no matter what the condition of the road or the 
speed of travel. We had often been told that the 
flies would be troublesome, and covered our heads 
and faces with thin veils, and had no trouble what- 
ever, but some of our neighbors who had not this 
covering suffered considerably. We saw many 
small children and babies with flies on their faces 
thick enough to make black spots as large as a 
nickel, and the mothers never brushed them away, 
as in this way they teach the little ones not to 
notice the small troubles of life, and it also learns 
them self-control. 

It seems almost incredible that the great temple 
of Luxor, near the hotel, could have been entirely 
covered with rubbish and debris, with houses built 
over them only sixteen years ago>, for we do not 
realize when at home the great work which keeps 
going on here and the constant care given to it. 
We have all read Mrs. Edwards' book, or some 
other as good, on the unearthing of the ruins in 
this great valley, so we will not bore the reader 
by trying to describe in detail any of the old mon- 
uments. The stupendous old temple of Karnak, 



ON THE NILE 



119 



built 2,000 years b. c, whose immense columns 
are covered with inscriptions and hieroglyphics, 
covers many acres of ground, and excavations are 
still in progress, and we are beginning to get into 
the spirit of this great work, and think we would 
like to try our luck at digging. The Avenue of 
Sphinx is easily found, and we recall another of 
George Ebers' wonderful stories. Uarda and the 
Princess passed so many times through this ave- 
nue in going to and from the temple that it is 
recognized at once. One lady of our party was 
quite sure she had found the road passing Old 
Hekt's house, but she did not hear the wail of the 
little cripple. 

The colossal statue of Memnon still "snaps its 
harpstring" when the first rays of the rising sun 
strike it. Many statues of Rameses, some with 
his wife near him, she reaching only to his knee; 
suppose the idea is that He was a famous King, 
she only a woman, but her name was Neferfari, 
and she is supposed to be the princess who saved 
Moses from a watery grave. 

The largest statue ever carved is the statue of 
Rameses, at the Rameseum ; it is said to weigh 
1,500 tons; it is broken in several pieces, the 
statue is 57^ feet high, measures 2\\ feet across 



120 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



the shoulders, and the index finger is 3 feet long. 
The tombs of the Kings are hewn into solid rock, 
descending by inclined planes or steps, with a 
width of from 6 to 10 feet, and in height about 
the same. The side walls are covered with in- 
scriptions and pictorial representations. 

There are thirty-five of these tombs lighted 
with electric light. Tomb No. 17 was that of 
Seti I, one of the Pharaohs who oppressed the 
Israelites in Egypt. The chamber of this tomb is 
90 feet below the entrance and 330 feet away 
from it. The alabaster sarcophagus is now in a 
museum in London, and the mummy in the mu- 
seum at Cairo. 

A few days living, seeing and hearing so much 
of the ancients makes us feel very familiar with 
The Rameses, and Seti, and Ptolemy, while the 
characters hewn in the rocks of the sun god, sun 
disks and scarabi, bulls and serpents, begin to 
take on meaning, and we are more and more of 
the opinion that it would not be the hardest fate to 
be an archaeologist and live in the atmosphere of 
the tombs. 

A journey to the site of old Memphis is inter- 
esting, with its colossal statues, which are inclosed 
in a rough way by timber; a small shed is built 



ON THE NILE 



121 



over the centre of the prostrate giant, where vis- 
itors go and look down upon his nerveless figure. 
The old city is overgrown with green moss, and 
we rode over its uneven surface to see a camp of 
Bedouins, who were encamped here for the sea- 
son, and we saw them watching their goats and 
weaving with a handloom very industriously. 
The "Apis" or sacred bull used to be worshipped 
here. He was supposed to be the incarnation of 
Osiris, the god of the under world, and therefore 
propitiation should be made to him. 

After a bull of the requisite color and marks 
had been found and saluted by the priests as 
"Apis," he was conveyed on a magnificently dec- 
orated vessel down the Nile to Memphis, when a 
temple was given him, and sacrifices made, and 
each year when the Nile began to rise a golden 
cup was thrown into the river and a grand festival 
was held to celebrate his birthday. He was not 
permitted to live over 25 years, and when death 
came, he was embalmed and carried to his tomb, 
and the whole land was filled with sorrow and lam- 
entation until his successor was found. I sup- 
pose the Apis tombs at Sakkara are some of the 
burial places of these gods. The visit to this 
Necropolis is well worth the trouble of the jour- 



122 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



ney and in crossing the desert sand with the Step 
Pyramids and Tombs in the distance we get quite 
an idea of Egyptian travelling by caravan. The 
sculpture in one of the tombs is marvelous. 

If it were not for the small mishaps to the don- 
keys and their riders, with the many jokes at their 
expense, the journeys would sometimes seem long 
and tedious, but when the journeys are ended, and 
we look over the store of experiences, there is al- 
ways so much found to add to our dreams that we 
are well repaid for a little weariness, which is soon 
forgotten. 



CHAPTER XIX 



IN CAIRO 

'^gy HE large, new Museum of Cairo 
should be visited after one has made 
the Nile journey, for the interest in 
all ancient curiosities, and especially 
the mummies, is very much heightened 
by seeing the tombs from which some 
of them are taken, as well as being much better 
acquainted with the history of many of them. 

The museum is well filled with relics of the 
past, mummies of many animals and curios found 
in the tombs, some fine jewelry, and Arabs are 
very willing to take one here to prove that the 
scarabi which they are selling are the real tomb 
beetles, £nd they can prove anything, for there 
are scarabi made of clay, glass and stone in all 
colors. There are scarabi of all sizes, from a half 
inch to 5 or 6 inches long, the hieroglyphics on the 
flat side fixing their value, and the prices range 

123 



124 DREAMS OF YESTERDAYS 



from $5 up. The best one I saw in our party cost 
$25, was set in a ring. They are in the shape 
of the sacred beetle, and the more remote the 
dynasty under which they were made the more 
valuable they are. They tell you they were all 
found in the tombs, and no doubt those in the 
Museum were, but we know that many of them 
are made in our own country and shipped abroad, 
so we are sceptical. I met a young man who had 
travelled much in Egypt, and he assured me that 
he had a scarabee dating from the time of Joseph, 
and he was very happy in its possession. Of 
course, the most interesting curiosities in the mu- 
seum are the mummies of the three Rameses, who 
lie side by side in the same sarcophagi they oc- 
cupied thousands of years ago, and it was inter- 
esting to hear the different people express them- 
selves about them. Some are Rameses cranks, 
and hang about them for hours, studying the 
physiognomy of each and comparing their ster- 
ling qualities, others notice more particularly the 
sarcophagi in which they rest, and they are in- 
teresting, being shaped somewhat to the body and 
covered with something like arabesque figures in 
red and yellow, and as bright as the day they were 
made, thousands of years ago. Some of the vis- 



7JV CAIRO 



125 



itors are perfectly indifferent to anything, only 
that they are "doing' 9 the Museum. 

There are four great hotels in Cairo, the Con- 
tinental, Shepherds, Savoy, and The Gizehreh 
Palace, and they are all very celebrated hostelries. 
Shepherds is in the crowded part of the city, with 
a rather narrow street and shops on the opposite 
side. The Continental is a block and a half above 
on the same street, which is sowewhat wider at 
this point, with "Garden" opposite. The Savoy 
is a little distance out of the business portion of 
the city, and is supposed to be a little more ex- 
clusive. The Gizehreh Palace was commenced as 
a palace, but funds running low, it was sold to 
be used as a hotel. It is out of the city, on the 
banks of the Nile, and magnificently fitted up, has 
beautiful parks and flower gardens, polo grounds, 
golf links, cricket fields and trotting track. A 
terrace in the rear overlooks the Nile, with the 
busy scenes of life on the water. We read not 
long since of a man of some influence who was 
"de trop" in some way and accepted an invitation 
to dine here, and was never more heard from. 
The great river Nile never reveals her secrets. 



CHAPTER XX 



ALEXANDRIA AND THE SEA 

LEXANDRIA being Egypt's great 
seaport, is crowded with warehouses, 
and in taking a drive about the city, 
one is struck more by its busy busi- 
ness life than by its beauty, although 
there are many handsome buildings. 
The red granite shaft of "Pompey's Pillar/' 
over 100 feet in height, is the only important relic 
of antiquity in the city ; it stands on a slight emi- 
nence and is some distance from the sea. "Cleo- 
patra's Needle," now in Central Park, New York, 
used to be a rival in interest, and was only six 
miles away, but since 1880, when it was presented 
to New York by the Khedive Ismail, the pillar 
stands alone in its undisputed right of antiquity. 

In passing out of the harbor, we are shown the 
celebrated lighthouse of the Pharaohs, and are 
soon rather sadly watching the receding city. 

126 




ALEXANDRIA AND THE SEA 127 



Our boat moved quickly over the water, and 
soon nothing but the low shore was in view of all 
that most interesting land, with its camels, cara- 
vans and water buffaloes, its tombs, ruins and 
mummies. A few days' sailing over the beautiful 
blue Mediterranean brought us to the island of 
Sicily, where we watched the smoking ^Etna, and 
strained our vision for a sight of Stromboli on 
the one side and on the other the bare indented 
shores of Italy. 

Passing through the Strait of Messina, we 
were soon in familiar waters, and felt that our 
journey had been one of extraordinary interest 
and pleasure, some of which we hope to have im- 
parted to our readers by writing a few of our 
"Dreams of Yesterdays." 



THE END 



IH. 17 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. I 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Dec. 2002 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION J 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 



